Fell into a cactus while hiking in Arizona yesterday. Pulled out the ones I could with tweezers.

Wondering if they will just fall out or what to do

by CSGOfizZz

14 Comments

  1. TheMostModestofMice

    😬 yikes. I would def try to pull out as many as you can.. it’s kinda gross but I find teeth work better than tweezers. If the spine isn’t poking through the skin I’d try to break the skin with a toothpick or something similar and try to massage it out to pull. Sometimes there is enough pressure under the skin to force them out over time, but smaller ones in the softer parts of the hand would likely stay there for weeks before the immune system will start breaking it down.

  2. _thegnomedome2

    They often push out on their own. Definitely apply an antiseptic and antibiotic. Dont want that turning into a gnarly infection. Might be wise to see a doctor.

  3. Somthingsacred

    Oh shit , that’s def no fun . Disinfect, perhaps soak in warm water to loosen skin up , get as many as you can . No bueno 🙁

  4. Somthingsacred

    Oh shit , that’s def no fun . Disinfect, perhaps soak in warm water to loosen skin up , get as many as you can . No bueno 🙁 use a needle and tweezers … good luck 👍

  5. mysticopallibra

    Yeah definitely do a salt water soak, epsom as well, let your hands get soft and then gently try to remove more while the skin is softened. Good luck, and I would pay close attention for infection.

  6. alldayattaboy

    Pour some Elmer’s glue over your hand and let it dry. Once it does peel it off. You can also try dreft laundry detergent and soak your hand. PS. I’m sorry!

  7. AffectionateSun5776

    Gorilla tape often pulls them out

  8. Plane_Complaint_788

    A lot of spots have high infection potential if the tips are deep. Takes aspirin or ibuprofen to assist in the swelling and pain. I would do as others say, soak in epsom salt to cause them to swell a bit and be easier to grab at the surface with tweezers. I would dip your whole hand in isopropyl alcohol after you are satisfied with spine removal, and wash well with dish soap after. Missed spines will reject, surround with pus, and eventually make their way to the surface if they aren’t too deep. Deep ones might stay with you forever until your body absorbs them or decides to reject.

  9. juliapudd1ng7163

    imo can’t believe how relatable this is lol sometimes reddit just gets it right

  10. russsaa

    Maybe im jumping the gun, but i believe this is hospital visit kind of affliction. With how thick those spines we see are, the spines are probably in very deep.

    Failure to remove thorns, spines, and glochids can result in complications like nasty infections and chronic skin conditions. Rose gardener disease and sabra dermatitis for example. I for one, wouldn’t want to take my chances.

    Yes your skin *can* push em out, but many cacti species spines have tiny barbs that your body wont be able to push out. Not a risk id want to take.

    Cant hurt to try some manual removal with glue & peel. And warm water, peroxide, and tweezers. But id still go to hospital if i were you.

  11. Wadester58

    I fell into my Cane Cholla and it took months before I got all the spines out one got stuck in my nail bed man that one sucked good luck

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