How to Remove a Splinter Safely

Most splinters are a nuisance rather than a danger, and a shallow one sitting near the surface of the skin can usually be taken out at home with a pair of tweezers. The St John Ambulance advice is to grasp the splinter with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible and draw it out in a straight line, keeping it at the same angle as it went into the skin¹. Clean the spot afterwards and cover it with a plaster or dressing to help prevent infection².

The important exception is a splinter that is deep in the skin. That can be difficult to remove and should be left in place, with the person advised to seek medical help¹. Trying to dig out something deeply embedded risks pushing it further in and making any bleeding worse, which is why official first aid guidance for wounds says not to try to take out something stuck in a wound and not to press down on it².

Once the splinter is out, treat the spot like any small cut: stop any bleeding, clean the wound well, and cover it with a plaster or dressing². Most cuts and grazes treated at home will start to heal in a few days². If the site becomes red, swollen, more painful or starts leaking pus, contact NHS 111 or a GP surgery¹.

Taking out a splinter that sits near the surface

A splinter you can see clearly, with one end showing above the skin, is the kind you can deal with yourself. Wash your hands first, then use a clean pair of tweezers. The technique matters more than the tool: grip the splinter as close to the skin as you can get, and pull it out in a straight line rather than at an angle, keeping the same line it followed going in¹. Pulling sideways or twisting can snap it and leave a fragment behind.

Tweezers earn their place in a household medicine cabinet for exactly this job. NHS guidance on stocking a medicine cabinet lists tweezers for taking out splinters, and notes that if splinters are left in they can cause discomfort and could become infected⁴. That is the reason to remove a shallow one cleanly rather than leave it to work its way out.

If the splinter is under a fingernail but still near the surface, the same tweezer method applies. If it is deep under the nail, or deep in the pad of a finger or foot, it falls into the "leave it and seek medical help" category¹. Do not use a needle, pin or scissors to dig for it: that is not in any of the official guidance, and it turns a small problem into a wound.

Leave a deeply embedded object in place and press either side of it

A splinter is a small embedded object, and the rules for embedded objects in wounds are firm and consistent across the UK's first aid guidance. Do not try to remove an object embedded in a wound, because it may be helping to plug the hole and stop the blood flow; instead, apply pressure around it⁶. NHS inform's severe bleeding guidance says the same: do not try to remove the object, and apply pressure either side of the embedded object to control the bleeding⁷.

For a cut with something stuck in it, NHS inform's cuts and grazes advice adds a detail worth knowing: do not press down on the object, but press firmly either side of it to push the edges of the wound together². The NHS advice for children says the same for an object like a piece of glass, because removing it can make the bleeding worse; press around the edges rather than directly on it⁸.

So the test is simple. If the splinter is sitting proud of the skin and will come away with a gentle straight pull, take it out. If it is buried, if it is in a place you cannot see properly, or if pulling it would mean digging, leave it where it is, press either side if it is bleeding, and get it looked at¹.

Clean the wound and cover it

Once the splinter is out, the spot is an open wound, however small, and it should be treated like one. The standard advice is to stop any bleeding, clean the wound well, and cover it with a plaster or dressing to help prevent infection². For a small bleed, firm pressure with a dressing or a clean, non-fluffy cloth such as a tea towel or flannel will usually settle it; if you have no clean cloth, use your fingers⁸.

If bleeding soaks through whatever you are pressing with, remove it and replace it with a fresh one, keeping firm pressure on the wound⁶. Do not keep lifting the original to check.

Keeping the spot clean and covered matters more than usual if your hands are going to be in water, soil or mess. Public Health Wales advises keeping any open cuts or sores clean and dry, and says waterproof plasters and bandages can help⁹. Derbyshire County Council's flood clean-up guidance says to cover open cuts and wounds on exposed skin with a waterproof plaster¹⁰. The same logic applies to gardening, DIY and any dirty job: a covered splinter site is a protected one.

When to phone 999 or go to A&E

A splinter alone rarely needs an emergency response, but the wound it leaves can. NHS inform's cuts and grazes guidance says to phone 999 or go to A&E if you have a cut and cannot stop the bleeding, if blood comes out in spurts and is bright red and hard to control, if you lose feeling near the wound or have trouble moving it, if you have a bad cut on your face or the palm of your hand, if the wound is very large or deep, or if there is something stuck in the cut².

That last point is the one that catches people out. Something stuck in a cut that you cannot safely remove is an A&E matter, not a kitchen table matter². Severe bleeding is listed among the reasons to call 999¹¹.

For burns and scalds, the threshold is different again: phone 999 or go to A&E if a burn or scald is very large or deep, is on the face, genitals or bottom, or has been caused by an acid or chemical, or by electricity¹². These are not splinter scenarios, but they are the kind of household injury that arrives alongside one, and the same principle holds: a wound that is large, deep, dirty or not stopping bleeding needs more than a plaster.

If you are unsure whether a problem is an emergency, NHS 111 online can point you to the right service. Depending on what you need, it may advise calling 999 or going to A&E in an emergency, going to an urgent treatment centre, seeing an out-of-hours GP, booking a callback from a nurse, contacting your own GP surgery, or seeing a pharmacist¹³. In an emergency, go to A&E immediately or call 999¹⁴.

Pain relief for the first few days, and the aspirin rule for children

A splinter site can be sore for a day or two, especially if it was deep or in a fingertip. If the wound is painful for the first few days you can take pain relief such as paracetamol or ibuprofen². Many common injuries can be treated at home with rest, painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, and basic first aid¹¹.

The rule that matters most is about children. Do not give aspirin to children under 16². NHS guidance is consistent on this: aspirin must not be given to children under 16³, and it should not be given to children under 16 unless a doctor has prescribed it³. The same warning appears in first aid guidance for burns and scalds, which states that children under 16 years of age should not be given aspirin¹⁶.

For children, use paracetamol or ibuprofen instead, and always read the label and follow the instructions for use very carefully, noting that special child versions are available³. If you are unsure about a dose for a child, ask a pharmacist.

Signs of infection, and when to see a GP

The main reason to take a splinter out properly is to avoid infection. Signs of infection include redness, swelling, increased pain, or leaking pus¹. If the site appears to become infected, contact NHS 111 or a GP surgery¹.

There is a second set of reasons to seek medical attention for a wound, separate from the 999 list. Seek medical help if a wound won't stop bleeding, a foreign object is embedded in the wound, the wound is from a human or animal bite, you think the wound might be infected, or you are unsure whether the casualty has been immunised against tetanus². Signs of infection include redness, swelling, increased pain, or leaking pus². A splinter from a garden or a building site can carry soil into the skin, so the risk of infection is worth watching for.

For anything that is not an emergency, make an appointment with your GP if you are feeling unwell, for example with ear ache or back pain¹⁸. Make an appointment for an illness or injury that will not go away, including persistent vomiting, ear pain, stomach ache or back ache, contacting the surgery online, by app or by phone¹⁴. If your GP surgery is closed and you need urgent advice, call NHS 111¹⁹.

How long a small wound takes to heal

Most small wounds treated at home start to heal in a few days². Minor injuries may cause some discomfort for the next few days but should disappear within fourteen days²⁰. If a splinter site is still painful, red or swollen well beyond that, it is worth getting it looked at rather than waiting longer.

For comparison, small burns and scalds can often be treated at home and can take around 2 weeks to heal¹², and minor burns normally heal in around 14 days and leave little scarring¹⁶. A splinter wound should be quicker than that, which makes a slow-healing site a signal to seek advice.

Bites and stings that need more than a plaster

A splinter is a puncture from a piece of wood, metal or glass. A bite or sting is a puncture from something living, and the advice differs. A wound from a person or a wild or stray animal needs urgent medical attention even if it looks minor, so contact NHS 111 or your GP practice². Clean it well and cover it first².

Insect stings have their own first aid. A bee will usually leave behind a stinger attached to a venom sac, and it should be removed quickly using a scraping motion with a hard-edged card such as a debit card²¹. Wasps do not leave their stinger and can sting again; clean the area with soap and water, apply an ice pack wrapped in cloth or a wet cloth for a few minutes, use an age-appropriate antihistamine and apply calamine lotion²¹.

If a sting or bite is followed by swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing or a rash, that is a different emergency and needs 999. For more on bites and stings, see Bites and Stings: Insects, Dogs and Other Animals.

Keeping the right kit to hand

You do not need much to deal with a splinter: a pair of tweezers, something to clean the skin, and a plaster. Tweezers are listed in NHS medicine cabinet guidance specifically for taking out splinters⁴. A well-stocked medicine cabinet also covers the aftermath: painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, plasters and dressings, and a thermometer for checking for a high temperature⁴.

For a fuller list, see First Aid Kits for the Home: Contents and How to Choose and Cuts, Grazes and Wounds: Cleaning and Dressing at Home. If you are dealing with a wound that is bleeding heavily or has something larger stuck in it, Should You Remove an Object Stuck in a Wound? and How to Stop Severe Bleeding cover the steps in more detail.