How To Get Pencil Lead Out of Skin

Smart pens and iPads are taking over the pencil-paper world day by day. Hence, accidents related to pencils are not that common these days.

Still, you’ll find a lot of cases involving sharp pencils, especially among kids and creative folks in arts and crafts.

So, knowing how to remove pencil lead from your skin in an effective way is a must.

If you or someone you know somehow got hurt by a pencil, don’t panic, it’s not poisonous. This article will help you from start to finish.

Here, I’ll talk about the most effective ways you can get pencil lead out of your or other’s skin. In the end, you’ll become an expert who’ll help people in the future. With that being said, let’s get to it. Shall we?

A Few Precautions Before Removing Pencil Lead

Well, before we jump into the step-by-step guide to extracting pencil leads, you need to remember something.

First, don’t forget to use surgical gloves. It’s because directly touching the injured site with our hands is risky, as it contains germs. Hence, gloves are a safe option. You can also use soap or sanitizers in the space of gloves. But don’t touch the place with your bare hands.

Second, don’t ever feel shy to ask for professional help. See, there could be a lot of things going on that you don’t know. So, if something goes south, asking for help is mandatory.

Lastly, find somebody to assist you. It’ll also help you to stay calm in the whole process.

How to Get Pencil Lead Out of Your Skin – My Picks

There are several ways to get pencil lead out of your skin. It actually depends on the degree of the wound.

For example, if the accident involves John Wick, then I don’t think you can do anything, :p. Jokes apart, what I tried to say is that, depending on the seriousness of the accident, you need to take measures.

In this part, I’m gonna talk about the most effective way that works in most cases. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.

Locate or Find the Lead or Splinter

The first and most important part of removing pencil lead is to find where it is underneath your skin. This will prevent you from poking or injuring the good parts of your skin unnecessarily. Also, it’ll give you a window to check the splinter’s size. Remember to use a stainless-steel needle for small lead, or a tweezer for bigger lead. You can use different tools, but these two are the most common and are easily available.

Read More: The Best Mechanical Pencil Lead Reviews [A Complete Buying Guide]

Properly Clean the Affected Area

Cleaning or sterilizing the affected area is a must to operate in a safe way. See, the skin protects our body from bacteria and all. Hence, if it’s cut open or somehow damaged, there’s no protection. As a result, now, it’s prone to bacteria attacks.

Cleaning with soap, alcohol, or, antibacterial of any kind provides the extra protection your body needs. Also, it helps the wounded area from inflammation and infection. Additionally, you can use lukewarm or hot water to wash the area. It’ll soften the skin for you to pull out the splinter easily. At first, it’ll cause pain, but it’ll be okay afterward.

Clean Your Removing Tools

The next part is to clean the tools that you’re going to use to remove the lead. It’s also as vital as cleaning the affected area. When you’re using tools to navigate an open wound, you’re introducing the place to different germs and bacteria. Hence, sterilizing these ensures you have nothing to worry about.

To clean these, the best product is rubbing alcohol. First, pour some into a cup and dip a cleaning cloth in it. After that, take out the tools, rub the cloth all over it, and make sure every inch is covered. In case you don’t have rubbing alcohol, you can use boiling water too.

Gently Remove the Lead

Now, you can start the removal procedure as you have cleaned the tools and the injured area. To do that, at first, you have to locate the lead and place your tools just right there. If it’s a bigger lead, pulling it out with a pair of tweezers will be easy and less time-consuming.

On the other hand, working with a needle will be a little tricky as the target would be small. Hence, you need to focus carefully and handle it with care. Too much needle pressure can injure you further. So, be careful of it.

Don’t panic if you somehow break or cannot extract the splinter. Take some time, soak the area in warm water, and start over. Remember, you need to show patience and care to get a good result. Rushing things down might be a bad decision for you or the person you’re taking care of.

Thoroughly Inspect the Site

Okay, after the full removal of the splinter, you need to inspect the site. It is to ensure that there are no pencil lead fragments left. To do that, find a magnifying glass and use the flashlight of your smartphone. If you find any type of pencil lead on the surface of the skin, repeat the previous removal process. And do it until the place is totally clean.

Remember, remaining graphite bits can be painful and not a good sign for the long term. Things could escalate and you could face infection. Also, don’t forget to remain patient and careful while inspecting.

Clean The Injured Area

So, when you’ve made sure that there’s no more lead left inside of your skin, you’re ready to move to the last step. Here, you need to properly clean the injured area. You may see a little bit of blood. Don’t worry, it’s natural. Clean the area with soap and water and the blood will automatically stop.

Do not scrape, it’ll make things worse for you. Use warm water or any antibacterial agents for cleaning. It’ll help you to kill the last germs and bacteria from the site. Furthermore, use antiseptic cream if you feel it necessary. Or you can use a Band-Aid for a couple of days if you want. The main point is to keep you safe. So, do it as you find it important.

Okay, if you’ve followed all of the above steps, you’ve successfully extracted the lead out of the skin. Now, you need to monitor the wound from time to time. Consult a professional if you feel like it. Some people can be allergic to pencil lead. Hence lead injury may cause allergic reactions like swelling or redness. Talking to a professional is a must then.

Make sure there are no inflammations or other worrying signs. Moreover, avoid eating meats, cheese, and sweets until the wound heals.

Keep Reading: Is Mechanical Pencil Lead Toxic? [Know It Here]

How Much Harmful Pencil Lead Stuck in the Skin?

Lead Poisoning is harmful in many ways. But it only happens with the industry leads, not with regular ones. Pencil leads are made of non-poisonous elements such as graphite and clay. Hence, you won’t have to worry about graphite pencils at all.

According to all big institutions, such as the American Chemical Society and others, Pencil Lead Is Non-Toxic.

However, not all companies make pencils with graphite and clay. Some companies use different impurities to cut off production costs. For this reason, if it’s inside your body for long, it could do a lot of damage to the tissue cells, leading to infection. Hence, treating it with proper care is mandatory if a pencil lead is inside your skin.

How Much Time It Requires to Remove a Pencil Lead Out of Skin?

To get a piece of pencil lead out of your skin, you must put half an hour into the process. If you hurry, there’s a risk of infection. Because impurities on the pencil lead can cause serious inflammation and you could get infected easily. So, take your time and safely remove the piece of lead. 

The Final Words

Pencils have been our most constant companion for several centuries. From artists to students to musicians, it has been a common name. For this reason, the injuries related to it are also common. Some people injure themselves while sharpening it. Hence, knowing how to get pencil lead out of skin is more than mandatory.

In this article, I’ve tried to break down the most effective way to remove pencil lead from the skin. If you’ve gone through it, you’d know the best measures and ways to deal with it. I hope this has been informative and helpful enough for you. See you in another article.

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