Pencil Lead (Graphite) Embedded in Skin: Risks and When to Seek Care

Graphite is non-toxic, but a retained fragment acts as a foreign body.

Watch For

• Increasing redness, warmth, swelling, pus
• Persistent pain or tenderness
• Fever

Action

• Clean gently; apply antibiotic ointment.
• If fragment is superficial and accessible, it may work out.
• See a clinician if: signs of infection, deep/large fragment, joint proximity, or no improvement in 48 h.

Tetanus booster if immunization not current.