Any tips for removing thorns from your skin?

skea56

Hi everyone, just checking if anyone had tips for removing rose thorns from your skin? I was in the garden a few days ago and have got 4 small shards of thorns in my thumb...have tried tweezers but cant seem to get a hold of them.

I've been told they will work themselves out eventually, with 3 of them I'm not that bothered but there is one that is very uncomfortable...everytime I lift something or even type it stings.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

sk56

BlondeHeadOn

I had one I couldn't get out, and in the end I soaked my thumb for ages in a bowl of warm salty water (while sitting watching telly in the evening). After about an hour of this my thumb skin was all soft and it was easy to ease out the thorn with a bit of pressure on either side of it.

Even if it just allows you to push the thorn out slightly, it may enable you to get the tweezers onto it.

HTH

MaggieBaking

You must get them out. I knew of a woman who got a very nasty infection from a thorn she didn't bother to remove.

My mother always pulled splinters out using needles and a bit of digging. Disinfect the wound, disinfect the needle and tweezers and set at it. Get all the bits out, disinfect again. If you can't do it or don't know anyone who can help you, call your local doctor's surgery and ask if they have a nurse who could clean it out for you.

hamsterfan1

try gently rubbing the area with sugar - it works sometimes - my son once got a huge splinter & we couldn't remove it & it was a trip to A&E & they used surgical tools to dig it out

Enterprise_1701C

In the meantime it might be a good idea to use liberal amounts of germolene on the sites just to try and avoid infection.

I also find that they tend to work their way out after a good bath (especially after dismantling an old shed!!)

So long as it does not get infected, then it will be fine to leave the smaller ones to work their way our on their own, I've had a few I could not remove and they worked their way out in a week or two.

shandyclover

Ask your local pharmacist for an ointment, its white and pasty and very thick called 'magnesium' something or other - (sorry I no longer have it and forgot the name).

A few years ago DD (tomboy) slipped down a tree and got very nasty wood bits in her hip. I tried hot bath, tweezers and took a morning off to take her to the surgery to have a very brusque impatient Dr shout at her to lay still on the examing table while she wielded a huge needle telling us she only had 5 mins. DD stood up and walked out and no amount of cajoling would get her back in. On the way home I stopped at the chemist buying tcp to bathe the area again and got chatting to the pharmacist about our unsucessful Dr visit. She suggested the ointment, a plaster and forget about it - sure enough when I changed the plaster the next morning it was already out.

ashaput

I usually soak the finger in a warm water until it soften. After that I pressure in both side with the help of someone and at the same time I dig it a bit by using needle. I won't let anyone dig it for me because I'm afraid they can't feel the sting

Mojisola

shandyclover wrote: »

Ask your local pharmacist for an ointment, its white and pasty and very thick called 'magnesium' something or other - (sorry I no longer have it and forgot the name).

We always have a pot of Magnesium Sulphate in the house for removing thorns and splinters.

Put a small dollop of the stuff on a plaster, leave it a day or so and it will draw the thorn out.

2nd_Time_Lucky

Mojisola wrote: »

We always have a pot of Magnesium Sulphate in the house for removing thorns and splinters.

Put a small dollop of the stuff on a plaster, leave it a day or so and it will draw the thorn out.

^^ good stuff and cheap :j i had a blackthorn in my wrist that i went to A&E with as it was swelling badly and they put some Mag Sulf paste on, covered with a plaster and the thorn was out by morning.
FWIW many O/S MSE would recognise Mag Sulf as Epsom Salts