Tiny piece of glass stuck in my finger for weeks

January 5, 2024 9:48 PM

I got a tiny sharp piece of glass left in my finger from cleaning up a smashed glass. It has been several weeks now, the skin has fully healed over it. What should I do?

I can feel the tiny piece under the surface of the skin when I put direct pressure on it, and it hurts when I press right on it. It is in the (thickish, moderately callused) skin of my finger almost right at my fingertip, and I think some scar tissue might have formed around it under the skin.

It doesn't seem to be a major issue. It isn't infected nor a risk of infection, at this point it seems safe to say. But I don't like feeling it in there and as I said it hurts when directly pressed on.

I had thought my body might expel it on its own but that hasn't happened.

You are not my doctor, I know. But any advice?

posted by splitpeasoup to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

When I was in middle school my brother stabbed me in the leg with a mechanical pencil and about a quarter inch of lead got stuck in me.

When I was ~25, it came out on its own.

Life finds a way.

(If I were you, I'd call my primary care doctor and ask what they would advise you to do, and follow medical advice.)
posted by phunniemee at 9:57 PM on January 5 [1 favorite]

Go to the doctor. Our fingertips are important, and you have something embedded in yours, and it's causing you pain and discomfort. Go get it removed.

(I went to the podiatrist for orthotics and also asked them to look at a spot on my foot that had been uncomfortable for a month or two, and they were able to remove a small piece of glass that I hadn't known was there. I had looked at the spot for ages. Felt so much better without it.)
posted by bluedaisy at 10:14 PM on January 5 [8 favorites]

If it seemed close enough to the surface that I could use a needle or pin to dig it out fairly easily, I'd do that. I do it with splinters and thorns all the time, never making any effort to sterilize the pin first or even make sure it's particularly clean. (Why worry about that when the thing that's in there wasn't sterilized before it went in?) If it seemed too deep for that to work, I'd go to my doctor or an urgent care place and ask them to get it out.
posted by Redstart at 10:18 PM on January 5 [3 favorites]

Best answer: This was me. tl;dr in a very similar situation, I used a long epsom salt soak followed by very gentle scraping with a razor blade to successfully remove the glass shard. I highly recommend this approach; it did not hurt. (Although it may be a little trickier in your case since the skin has already grown over the shard.)
posted by mekily at 10:33 PM on January 5 [5 favorites]

When this happens to me, I side with the dig it out strategy (though with a reasonably clean tool). At the same time I also remind myself, for the next time, of the importance of meticulously cleaning the wound when it is open in the first place.
posted by fairmettle at 10:58 PM on January 5

(Why worry about that when the thing that's in there wasn't sterilized before it went in?)

Because tetanus, but you do you.

OP, I had a bit of wood get embedded in my foot when I was about 20. Larger than a splinter, smaller than a beam. Hurt every time I took a step. Couldn't winkle it out with an alcohol-soaked needle. I went to urgent care because it was the weekend, I was supposed to be traveling on Monday, and I didn't relish going through airports with that. They lanced it right quick and gave me the most ridiculously large bandage which I didn't need except the gate agent let me board the plane early along with others who needed extra time going down the jetbridge. Also got a tetanus booster because I was due anyway, so win-win-win.
posted by basalganglia at 2:49 AM on January 6 [13 favorites]

Best answer: I had a piece of glass embed in the side of the sole of my foot and get stuck beneath a scar and only come out years later (I don't think it came out on its own but might have eventually worked its way close enough to the surface that it started causing pain again and I dug it out). For a long time I wasn't sure if there was anything under the scar or not because I'd only feel it when I stepped in such a way that it hit a nerve just right or something, so I was surprised to find out in the end that it had really been stuck in there all along.

You probably COULD get it out on your own with a sterilized tool, but I think just go to a doctor for this if you've got the option, it would be safer and more efficient.
posted by space snail at 5:51 AM on January 6 [2 favorites]

Best answer: My wife stepped on a piece of glass and went to the doctor, and they tried xraying to find where the glass is, but glass is mostly transparent to xrays so couldn't find it. The doctor did dig around and removed it but all they had at their disposal was their skill at cutting surgically.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:00 AM on January 6 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I have now-teenager who goes barefoot outdoors for a large part of the summer, and has for many years. I also do a lot of wood splitting and stacking for firewood, and as such I've become an expert in taking out splinters, glass, wood, etc.

My go-to tool for this type of thing are toenail clippers, dipped in alcohol to sterilize. I use the nail clippers to remove the top layer of callous / skin - basically anything that doesn't hurt. That should leave you with a small set of built-up scar tissue surrounding the glass. If you can, use the nail clippers to open a tiny hole in that - it shouldn't hurt at all, or more than a pinch. If you're lucky you can just squeeze it like you would a pimple at this point and the glass should pop out, you can grab it with tweezers (good ones, like tweezerman, are essential). If that doesn't work it's basically a regular splinter at this point and you can go at it with the tweezers. For glass, sound and feeling are key. You'll feel when the tweezers catch it and you'll hear it, but you won't see it.

If you can feel it when pressed on I'd give this a try - once you get the nail clipper part done you'll have a much better idea of whether this is something you can take care of yourself.
posted by true at 6:20 AM on January 6 [3 favorites]

Just go to a walk in clinic if you have one near you. This is a common malady. They will get it out in a flash...Fingertips are very important and sensitive...
posted by Czjewel at 6:24 AM on January 6 [1 favorite]

My dear sir you have glass embedded within your living flesh, GET THEE TO A CLINIC! Do not conduct science experiments inside your finger! Can you please conjure up a vision of your mother (or: insert caring parent/mentor of your choosing) and see the horror on their face right now? Let that face hasten you.
posted by MiraK at 8:21 AM on January 6 [3 favorites]

A good long soak in warm, salty water, followed by a little slice with a sharp blade (clean and wiped with alcohol) and a gently squeeze should do the job (if not, you might need clean tweezers as well). I've removed various splinters from underneath the skin with a little cut, it's very effective.
posted by ssg at 8:45 AM on January 6

Best answer: While you are deciding what to do (or waiting for an appointment), you could try a hydrocolloid bandage, if you have one. Last year I got a thorn (a tiny one) embedded in my finger and the skin grew over it. I slapped on a hydrocolloid bandage and it magically drew the thorn out of my skin several hours later.
posted by christa at 9:05 AM on January 6 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Ways to decide what you want to do:
- Call a free advice nurse if you have insurance.
- Read this 2003 article on what needs to happen to get it out and decide for yourself.
- Take advice from random people on metafilter. When I've had similar splinters, I've just dug them out myself. It does hurt if you have to dig around, but if you have pain tolerance it's fine.
posted by aniola at 9:54 AM on January 6 [1 favorite]

I have a pretty high pain tolerance, an indifference to scars, and some mild anxiety about going to the doctor. I would try to get it out myself.

If you don't have all those things, at least to some degree, you might be better off going to an urgent care place or something.

If you don't have all those things, and also you're a hand model, maybe a dermatologist?
posted by box at 12:14 PM on January 6

I will just point out that if tetanus is your big concern you shouldn't think you can be any less concerned if you wipe your cutting/poking implement with alcohol, because Clostridium spores are resistant to it.
posted by Redstart at 12:55 PM on January 6

Best answer: I had this and gently just kinda poked my skin open and dug it out. I used a clean Xacto blade, safety pin, and sharp tweezers. And tons of alcohol to sterilize everything and polysporin after.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:56 PM on January 6

I once got a tiny piece of seashell embedded in my toe. I tried to dig it out but it was too deep and in an awkward spot. I went to the doctor to get it out - they were able to give me a shot of local anesthetic which helped a lot when they were looking for the shard. For a fingertip with lots of nerves I'd go to the doc or urgent care.
posted by foodmapper at 9:20 PM on January 7