Removing splinters the easy way!

[Woodchips2]

I helped a neighbour repair his greenhouse and thought I’d either caught my hand on a pin or had a splinter in the fleshy part of the hand below the thumb. For a fortnight it caused irritation but no sign of a splinter and the hand was looking infected.

I went to see the chemist and she sold me a small jar of magnesium sulphate to draw out the pus. Paste over the infection and cover up with a plaster. Applied in the morning and by the evening the infection oozed out of the wound together with a splinter. Amazing!

Regards Keith

 

[screwpainting]

Now there's an ice breaker for a dinner party.

 

[Daniel2]

I will certainly give it a try

 

[Doug71]

Similar situation here when one of the kids got a splinter down the back of their finger nail. A friend said try this, was a small pot of magnesium sulphate, applied it, covered with plaster, next morning the splinter had popped out

 

[Sandyn]

Epson Salt?? Fascinating!! I didn't know that. I usually bathe in the stuff after a long cycle ride.
I often get deep splinters, but usually attack it with a needle. Really sore when it's deep. I will definitely try it. Was it a paste you got from the chemist?
When I was young I regularly stood on nails. My mum used to make a bread poultice to draw out all the muck. Was difficult hobbling around with a steaming hot half loaf bandaged to your foot. it did work though.

 

[D_W]

I've got one made of black palm about as thick as a toothpick and 3/8ths of an inch long in my middle finger on right hand. It's in so deep that can push on one end and get the further-in end to show up on the pad of my middle finger (but as a white pressure dot).

I'd make a joke about getting it out, but a hand surgeon told me "cutting it out on the pad side of the finger as getting them out whole from the tip is iffy". Then he said about half a chance that I'd lose nerve sensation in that pad (the splinter rarely bothers me).

After telling me surgery was the only fix and the chances of loss of nerve sensation, etc, I said "wait, would it be reasonable just to leave it in there as it's no longer bothering me? and have it removed later if it becomes a problem?"

his answer: "I think that'd be perfectly reasonable".

Literally got the "injury" sanding, something I don't do that much of.

 

[Woodchips2]

Epson Salt?? Fascinating!! I didn't know that. I usually bathe in the stuff after a long cycle ride.
I often get deep splinters, but usually attack it with a needle. Really sore when it's deep. I will definitely try it. Was it a paste you got from the chemist?
When I was young I regularly stood on nails. My mum used to make a bread poultice to draw out all the muck. Was difficult hobbling around with a steaming hot half loaf bandaged to your foot. it did work though.

Yes it was a little pot of paste for £2.99. Applied just a smear and a plaster and it worked. The chemist said to try it for two or three days and if it didn't work consult the doctor.
Regards Keith

 

[Sandyn]

Thanks. Will get some for sure. All those years suffering, sometimes for days.

 

[kinverkid]

As an adult I've bee lucky enough not to have had a splinter that I couldn't remove with a pin/blade, tweezers and jewellers eye piece. But, I do remember as a child that I wouldn't let mom or dad remove my splinters. So, they would use a paste called Black Jack that would draw it out after a day or two. I don't think you can buy it anymore.

 

[brocher]

Boots sell this stuff - Boots Pharmaceuticals Magnesium Sulfate Paste BP - Boots - hadn't heard of this, so will try and keep in mind for next time

 

[TRITON]

Magnifier and tweezers is how i normally deal with them, but ill give that a try. Take it you get this stuff from the chemist ?.

Wenge or bubinga for guaranteed septic within the day.

 

[islayhawk]

I remember as a child I got serious poisoned thumb. Every day the village nurse would visit to dress it. She would boil water, throw in bread then lift the mush out with forceps. She would then cover it in epson salts and apply it to my thumb. The pain was terrible but it certainly worked.

 

[Phil Russell]

Now don't laugh but this is true. Many years ago (around 1970) I was replacing a universal joint in the prop shaft from a Triumph Herald. This necessitated hitting the yolks on the shaft with a hemmer in order to remove the old joint. While doing this , wearing goggles of course, I felt a sharp pin prick in my upper left thigh but thought no more about it. The job was completed.
On changing back into normal clothes I noticed a small red mark and a spot of blood on my thigh. No pain of note and no sign of what had caused the puncture. But after a couple of days it did not heal. My wife packed me off to the local A&E for advice. They decided to X ray and there it was: a quite large steel sliver (about 1/2" long) embedded in my thigh. Much discussion amongst the hospital staff as to what to do. Surgery was ruled out as the potential damage would be greater than that inflicted by the sliver. So a magnet was brought in and I was told to sit still on a stool clasping the magnet to my thigh .. I was only partially dressed I might add. Needless to say it had no effect even though I sat there for maybe two hours. It was then declared that it was best to leave the sliver alone, take a course of antibiotics and wait to see if the sliver came out on its own. So I went home. I have no idea if it did come out or not ....
Cheers, Phil

 

[Auldfart2010]

Epson Salt?? Fascinating!! I didn't know that. I usually bathe in the stuff after a long cycle ride.

I didn't know that they were the same thing.

 

[Sandyn]

Seems to be, but the Epson Salt I use is in crystal form, not really suitable for putting inside a plaster and I don't think it's BP quality, It's really good for a long hot soak in a bath, but I better be careful and not stay in it too long!