Ouch, I have a splinter - help please

[p.penn]

I got up in the night last night to my granddaughter and somehow managed to get a splinter in my thumb from the bannister.

I can't seem to get it out - I have put a plaster over it and it is still ouchy. This is the second time this week I have had splinters - my daughter got the last one out for me but really hurt me doing it as she just squeezed and squeezed!

Any hints and tips on splinter removal gratefully received.

[cluckyclaire]

Soak your hand in some hot water (or do the wahing up!). It should soften the skin around the entry point and make it easier to get out.

[Totally Scrambled]

Helen,
As above advice then if it is deep wiggle it with a needle until you can get at it with tweezers.
I used to get loads of splinters in my hands but since I stopped scratching my head I don't nearly as many.
Dom

[wendy]

Permanganate of potash draws things out. I have had it work on splinters.
Other than one in my foot, when I went to fancy dress in hula skirt and bikini....but no shoes. I had to go and have A & E get it out with a scalpel
Wendy

[p.penn]

Ha ha ha! My ex husband suggested putting superglue on it and then peeling it off when set. I think it was a ploy by him to have a good laugh at my expense while I was glued to the kettle, telephone or the door handle.

Besides which, I don't have any superglue.

[Babycakes]

Germaline draws out splinters (or skelfs as we say) put a blob on, cover with a plaster and leave it for a day or so.

[Lilo-Lil]

I use mag sulf, which you can get in a little pot from the chemist. I mix it well with a cotton bud then dab a bit on and cover with a plaster. It acts as a "drawing paste" to draw the splinter out over a few days. You might need to re-apply it morning and night.

[p.penn]

OMG - isn't there anything I actually have in the cupboard that would work - tinned tomatoes, bleach, loo paper........?

(BTW, many thanks for your replies - don't mean to sound ungrateful! )

[p.penn]

It's OUT! Cancel the ambulance!

A nice soggy fabric plaster soaked in warm water combined with bathroom cleaner did it! I am just hoping that it came out in one piece......

(need to get out more methinks... )

[Homemade]

We used hydrogen peroxide when we were kids - it fizzed nicely especially if there was puss in the wound

[p.penn]

Shouldn't he have been in the boots?

[manda]

Glad to hear you managed to get it out...they're horrid

Not really off topic....

splinters (or skelfs as we say) .

We call them spelks. Interesting how different areas have different names for things eh?...anyone else got any different names for them?
Manda

[Mo]

When I lived in the NE (Stockton- on Tees), they called them spells.
Glad it's out.

[Dinchy]

In Yorkshire they were spells. In Northumberland they are spelks. Isnt it funny how something gets different names in different places.

[p.penn]

Indeed. In sussex they are splinters.