To the emergency room or to the surgeon you need to contact 1. Wounds / MSD Manuals
2. Foreign object in the skin: First aid / Mayo Clinic
3. Splinters / Stanford Children’s Health if:
Before doing this, try to rinse the Foreign object in the skin: First aid / Mayo Clinic the wound, and then cover it with clean gauze or cloth.
The doctor will most likely wash Lacerations / MSD Manuals the wound again and will examine it. He may prescribe an ultrasound of the skin or another study. If necessary, he will remove the pieces of glass and apply stitches, and then make a dressing.
If the last vaccination against tetanus was a long time ago, the doctor will carry out prevention.
If you broke a plate and walked across the floor, from which all the fragments were not removed, or stepped on a small piece of glass, most likely, you will be able to help yourself.
You can touch any wounds only with hands that have been thoroughly washed before Splinter removal / National Library of Medicine with soap.
Having removed the dirt in this way, you will be able to examine the wound. In addition, this way you will get rid of the germs that got into it and small fragments.
No need to rinse with alcohol or peroxide — aggressive solutions damage Wounds / MSD Manuals delicate tissues and interfere with healing. Tap water with soap is clean enough, it does not contain Lacerations / MSD Manuals microorganisms dangerous for wounds. Cold water can help reduce bleeding, and warm water with a lot of pressure can wash out small particles.
Take a close look at Foreign object in the skin: First aid / Mayo Clinic , whether there are any pieces of glass left in the wound. You can use a magnifying glass or a phone camera and zoom function. A flashlight will help you see everything even better.
Some fragments are not difficult to remove yourself.
If the pieces are very small and there is no blood, you can try to paste Removing Splinters / University of Michigan Health System tape on the wound area. The fragments will stick to it, and you will painlessly pull them out.
If that doesn't help, move on to the next step.
Pour over Foreign object in the skin: First aid / Mayo Clinic the tool with alcohol or boiling water, place Splinter removal / National Library of Medicine put its tip in the fire for a few seconds or rinse with soap. This will not make it sterile, but it will definitely reduce the number of microorganisms.
To lower the Splinters / Stanford Children’s Health unpleasant sensations, you can attach a piece of ice wrapped in a cloth to the wound for a couple of minutes.
If the glass, like a splinter, has gone a little deeper under the skin, it needs to be carefully torn Foreign object in the skin: First aid / Mayo Clinic with a needle and how to pick up a splinter.
If the edge sticks out of the wound, carefully grab the Foreign object in the skin: First aid / Mayo Clinic with his tweezers. If the fragment is too deep, then do not try to pull it out.
Rinse the wound again. If it is very small, then seal Wounds / MSD Manuals with a Band-aid. If not, you can apply a clean bandage made of gauze napkins and a bandage. Under the bandage, you can apply an ointment with an antibiotic.
Since the wound is on the foot, in the next few days it will be necessary to provide her with rest: do not walk for a long time and a lot, do not wear tight shoes.
Small abrasions heal on their own in a few days, but in other cases complications may occur. Dirty lacerations or puncture wounds are often infected Lacerations / MSD Manuals .
Consult a doctor if the pain does not subside within a few days after the wound is treated, the wound is swollen, reddened, seems hot and fluid flows from it.
If the glass went deep, it could damage a nerve, vessel or tendon. If you do not consult a doctor in time, the consequences can haunt your whole life: sensitivity will decrease, mobility will deteriorate.
