Needle and Tweezers

• Remove larger slivers or thorns with a needle and tweezers.
  • Check the tweezers beforehand to be certain the ends (pickups) meet exactly (if they do not, bend them). Sterilize the tools with rubbing alcohol.
  • Cleanse the skin surrounding the sliver briefly with rubbing alcohol before trying to remove it. If you don't have any, use soap and water but don't soak the area if foreign body is wood (Reason: can cause swelling of the splinter).
  • Use the needle to completely expose the large end of the sliver. Use good lighting. A magnifying glass may help.
  • Then grasp the end firmly with the tweezers and pull it out at the same angle that it went in. Getting a good grip the first time is especially important with slivers that go in perpendicular to the skin or those trapped under the fingernail.
  • For slivers under a fingernail, sometimes a wedge of the nail must be cut away with fine scissors to expose the end of the sliver
  • Superficial horizontal slivers (where you can see all of it) usually can be removed by pulling on the end. If the end breaks off, open the skin with a sterile needle along the length of the sliver and flick it out.