Though painful, having a splinter under your fingernail doesn't have to end in a run to the ER. With a few methods, you may be able to easily remove it yourself with less pain and fewer bills.


Steps

1. Don't panic. Though probably by the time you have read this, you have already tried a few things that haven't worked, for next time try not to panic and pull at the splinter (unless plenty of it is showing).
2. Set a $50 bill on the table. 2-20s and a 10 work, but the 50 is best. This is your copay. This, plus 4 hours in an ER, is your motivation.
3. Take a medically appropriate amount of ibuprofen based on the label information. This will help decrease swelling in the area, hopefully making it easier to pull the splinter out.
4. Get a high-quality pair of tweezers. Don't use your fingernails, a knife, a needle, or another sub-par instrument to try to dislodge it. Even if you have to wait for an hour or so to go buy them, get a good pair ($10+ at a drug store).
5. Get out your fingernail clippers.
6. Get in good, bright lighting.
7. Clip the nail back as far as you can, but don't clip through the splinter. To do this, clip on one side of the splinter so that a flap of nail is created (i.e. don't separate the piece from the rest of the nail). Pull this flap across to rip the nail portion that is over the splinter. Once you have cleared the splinter, clip the nail from the other side to remove the piece. Keep doing this until you are all the way to where the skin is attached to the underside of the nail.
8. This should have exposed a bit of the splinter. Get your high-quality tweezers and keeping them open plenty wide to stay on both sides of the splinter, push and wiggle them under the nail as far as you can. Remember that $50 on the table.
9. Close the jaws and pull the splinter out. Keep working at it, unless you are tearing away at the exposed splinter. If this happens, you may want to try to dig at it with a sterilized needle or get a better pair of tweezers.
10. If this isn't working, get some wood or Elmer's glue. Apply a small amount to the head of the splinter and wait for it to soak into the wood and harden. Carefully peel the glue off and pull it straight out. It may pull the splinter out with it.
11. If this does not work, you may have to go to the ER, or, if the pain isn't too great you can let your skin naturally expel it or the fingernail grow out, which will push it out.

Tips

• Throw out inferior tweezers in your First Aid kit right now and get a good pair. You won't just use it to pull out errant hairs. It will be very handy when necessary.
• Resist the urge to dig at the splinter without the right tools. You may just break it off deeper.
• You should sterilize the tweezers, needle, or any other instrument that is going to break the skin. Do this by soaking in Isopropyl Alcohol for 5 minutes.
• It is best to perform this yourself, as another person cannot feel how much discomfort you are in.
• You can temporarily numb the area with Ambisol.

Warnings

• If the splinter is severe or if it contains metal you should seek medical advise about the possibility of complication.
• As with all medical procedures, do not proceed if it is causing severe pain or bleeding.
• Seek medical help if the area becomes infected or bleeding does not stop within a few minutes of extraction.