Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

JR Watkins Petro-Carbo First Aid Salve or Mecca Ointment First Aid Cream?

I'm just wondering which ointment to purchase and would like your opinions. I've had a sliver or something under the skin in my hand for over a year that has healed over, but continues to bother me. I've read that either of these ointments will help to bring it out. Is this true? I also have cracked dry skin around my fingernails and apparently these creams are really good for that too. Maybe there is something else you may know that might be better. I would appreciate any advice.

I would take a needle and have a go at that splinter/sliver.

Regarding the dry, cracking skin around fingernails, I have a friend who had that problem for years. He now swears by O'Keeffes Working Hands from (of all places) Canadian Tire!

I had some hard skin around my thumbnail which I pulled off. It split and hurt like crazy. I put some Vaseline on it to try and soften the skin and then I put some Nu-skin over it and that allowed it to heal up very fast!

Linda

I've used Mecca for years cept when they stopped making it now back on shelf happy with it . Don't know the other . Luck

Linda, I tried digging this out long time ago without any success. It is well healed over now and I don't think or really want to start digging my hand all up. I'm hoping for an easier solution. Thank you for the suggestions and I will check out the O'Keeffes Working Hands.

Thanks Ross, I use to buy Mecca years ago. It was so long ago I can't really remember what I used it for lol. Maybe sunburn. I think I may try it out again.

Believe or not, duct tape will pull a sliver out if you can get a grip on it. But if has healed over, you would have to do some surgery to free it up enough to drag it out. Good luck.

Good to know about the duct tape for any future slivers Susan. Thanks for the tip. I think the one in my hand came from a thistle. We heat our house with wood, so I do get them from wood too. Tweezers don't always work well when the sliver are so tiny I can't see them, so I will try the tape the next time.

I don't have experience with either of those ointments, but I used icthammol (black drawing salve) in the past, on some metal slag in my finger. It had healed over too, and wouldn't come through the top layers of skin (too scarred?) but seemed to get it close enough to the surface that I could dig it out. Silver metal shards are a lot easier to see than thistle slivers though! I would have thought your body would break down anything plant-based by now, sucks that it's still in there.

I remember my father having icthammol when I was young and using it on us for slivers and the like. Seemed to work great.

Thanks. I haven't heard of icthammol before. I read that the Watkins and Mecca ointments will do the same thing and draw the sliver out. If that doesn't work I will try and find some icthammol.

Back in the day when the work horses got bot / eggs under the skin they would take a glass bottle turn upside down over the bump & heat the end with a torch & the vacuum would it produced pull / suck it out or wet clay to dry & pull it out . Used the wet clay on bee stings on horses myself . Luck