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Tips & Techniques

Removal of Cactus thorns from skin

18 years ago

Hi All,

My dad got cactus thorns (tiny ones) stuck in his back after gardening and I want to know the best remedy besides plucking them out to get the tiny (invisible) ones out before they penetrate any deeper. Please respond ASAP. Thanks so much for your help!

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Comments (9)

calpat
18 years ago
Use a magnifying glass to get those buggers out & remember to wash with alcohol. Generaly if you don't get the tiny ones, they will fester and then you can pop them out easily. Sorry, but it's not a fun or easy task!
jannie
18 years ago
When my kids were little, I bought a great little tool at my local drug store. It's a short,very sharp tweezers with a magnifier attached. Great for splinters,bug stingers, cactus thorns. Soaking in water,even showering, also helps dislodge the tiny tiny thorns you can't see.
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Thanks, y'all for all your suggestions. I'm not sure what my next step is here. If I can find it, I may try the drawing salve. The day I got this thorn, I did put a bit of damp baking soda on the spot and cover it with a bandaid for a couple of hours -- which was a tip for removing difficult splinters. The skin over the bit of sticker has healed over, but I know the thorn is still there because I can feel when I press the spot, so the Elmers Glue wouldn't have anything to stick to but skin. I guess this ought to teach me once and for all to wear gloves when working with roses. OTOH, it's hard to tie a climber to its arbor while wearing gloves.
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Comments (11)
Let me add to the anecdotes: I've forgotten the circumstances, but several years ago I was gardening and had a splinter stick into my palm at the base of my thumb (between the thumb and the first finger). It was a little less than a millimeter in diameter, and fairly stiff. When I got inside, the splinter had disappeared. Nothing much happened for a week or so -- no infection -- then one day the splinter was suddenly peeking out of my hand. I pulled it; it came out -- but sometimes that area feels like there's still a little bit of splinter in there. === An elderly neighbor, many years ago, fell into a large cactus in her home and ended up with a 1/2" spine in her forearm (on the underside of the arm; the spine was under the skin, parallel to the bone). She had a relative take her to the doctor. When the doctor went after the spine with tweezers, the spine went farther into her arm, and he couldn't find it. I don't remember if the doctor gave her anything for potential infection, or if she used anything on the puncture, but she didn't have any infection. However, fifteen years later, she told me she could still feel the spine under her skin, inches away from where it had entered her arm.
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Arizona_Bob
18 years ago
Very gently place adhesive tape on them and then lift them out.

Bob
baci
18 years ago
Different cacti have different thorns. Some have hooks, which make removal harder. I use tweezers & duct tape. Make sure you are in a good light so you can see them.
Make sure you get them out of your clothes or they can go to other clothes in the laundry.
Kathy Johnson
18 years ago
scotch tape & if that doesn't work, duct tape.
Yasmine
18 years ago
I used to put white glue on my childrens hands if they touched the neighbors cactus, let it dry and peel off. Worked every time, plus, it gave the kids something to do themselves = control = no pain.
neemlover
18 years ago
clay dirt, very dry, sprinkle on and wait a bit, then dampen, wait a bit more then shower off, the clay sucks up pretty much everything superficial, hope the thorns aren't too deep
pamccabe1_hotmail_com
12 years ago
Elmer's glue work great Pour it on let it dry lift it off and out
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
Well hopefully after 6 years the problem has been remedied!

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