How to Remove a Piece of Glass from a Finger

Glass splinters can be painful and difficult to remove if the piece of glass breaks beneath the skin. If the glass is allowed to remain in the skin without being treated, the wound can become infected. The method for removing a glass splinter is similar to removing wood splinters, except you have to account for the glass cracking while you're taking it out. If you can avoid the cracking, the procedure shouldn't be very difficult.

Visible Glass Splinters

Wash your hands with antimicrobial soap. If the glass splinter is in your own finger, try to avoid the wound because you don't want to break the glass and make it harder to remove 1.

How to Remove Glass Splinters

Learn More

Burn the ends of the tweezers with a lighter or a match.

Wipe the blackness off the tweezers with sterile gauze.

How to Remove Splinters That Won't Surface

Learn More

Grip the splinter with the tweezers and gently pull it out of the skin.

Wash the wound thoroughly with antimicrobial soap and apply sterile gauze or a bandage to the site.

Glass Splinters Under the Skin

Wash your hands with antimicrobial soap.

Burn the ends of a needle and the tweezers with a lighter or a match.

Wipe the blackness off the tools with a sterile gauze.

Use the needle to make a slit in the skin directly over the glass splinter.

Use the needle to open the skin so that more of the glass is exposed.

Pull the glass splinter out of the skin with the tweezers.

Wash the wound with antimicrobial soap and cover the wound with a sterile gauze or bandage.

Tips

If you are unable to remove the glass splinter with either of the methods described, mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of warm water and soak the wound with it twice a day. In a few days, the mixture will bring the splinter out of the skin.