How to remove sea urchin spine.

How to remove sea urchin spine.

Sea urchins are spiny sea creatures that are round and covered with very sharp needles called "spines;" depending on the species some of these spines can emit toxins. Typically seen in coastal and reef waters, many people become impaled on sea urchin spines while surfing, scuba diving or even walking in shallow waters. Almost all sea urchin venom (secreted from the pedicellaria organs) and their spines are non lethal, but can be extremely painful. A common place to get them is on the foot or the hand - from stepping on an urchin or falling off of a surfboard. The spines can go very deep into your skin and because they are brittle can sometimes be very difficult to remove without breaking off the tip. If you do get impaled by urchin spines, here are some tips of how to treat them until you can get medical attention.

Steps to Treat Sea Urchin Injury

1) Apply a topical antiseptic to clean and disinfect the wound until you can get to a clean comfortable place to apply further treatment - hydrogen peroxid.

2)You can try to remove the spines with pliers or tweezers, though the spines may be too flush with the skin to get good purchase. For simple punctures that look like the spines are protruding and can be easily pulled out, gently remove them. Also, as mentioned earlier, the spines can be very brittle and may be very hard to remove without breaking.