How to Remove a Honey Locust Thorn From My Arm

The honey locust tree is a fast-growing, hardy shade tree. The tree has a sweet smell and is popular for landscaping. The honey locust has clusters of three thorns each on its branches; these hard, sharp thorns were useful in the past as nails, and the honey locust was nicknamed the "Confederate Pin Tree" because Confederate soldiers used its thorns to pin their uniforms. These useful thorns can cause a painful wound, however, if you are not very careful with them. If you are stuck with a honey locust thorn, you or your physician will need to remove the thorn as soon as possible to prevent irritation and infection.

Things You'll Need

• Soap and water
• Paper towels
• Rubbing alcohol
• Antibiotic ointment
• Tweezers (small, with pointed tips)
• Cotton balls
• Adhesive bandages

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands for at least 30 seconds with soap and warm water. Dry them with a clean paper towel.

• 2

  Soak a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and use it to sterilize the ends of the tweezers.

• 3

  Grasp the protruding end of the thorn with the tweezers, and slowly and carefully pull the thorn out.

• 4

  Examine the wound for any small pieces of thorn that may be left behind. Remove any small pieces with the tweezers or flush them out with warm water.

• 5

  Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and warm water.

• 6

  Apply antibiotic ointment to the wound and cover it with an adhesive bandage.