How to get a stuck ring off

A ring that won't come off is uncomfortable but usually not an emergency. Fingers swell for ordinary reasons: heat, salt, a long flight, pregnancy, arthritis, a knock. The methods below work for most people. Try them in order.

Skip all of this and see a doctor or a jeweler if the finger is injured, the swelling is severe, the skin is changing color, or you've lost feeling in the fingertip. A ring that's cutting off circulation needs to come off now, and a professional can cut it in seconds. Tungsten and ceramic rings don't cut; they're cracked off with pliers, which looks dramatic and doesn't hurt.

1. Cold and elevation

  1. Put the hand in ice water for a few minutes, or hold an ice pack on the finger. Cold shrinks the swelling.
  2. Raise the hand above your head for five to ten minutes so the blood drains.
  3. Add a lubricant (petroleum jelly, cooking oil, hand lotion, soap) and ease the ring off, rocking rather than twisting.

2. Window cleaner

Oddly effective. Spray window cleaner on the finger and the ring, then rock the ring back and forth as you work it over the knuckle. Reapply as needed.

3. Plastic wrap

  1. Wrap a small piece of plastic wrap around the finger and the ring.
  2. Add lubricant over the wrap and the ring, and leave it for a few minutes.
  3. Pull the wrap and the ring down together. The wrap gives the ring something to slide against.

4. The string method

This one compresses the swelling and walks the ring over the knuckle.

  1. Slip the end of a length of dental floss or thin string under the ring, with most of the floss toward the fingertip. A needle or thin tweezers helps get it under.
  2. Starting just above the ring, wrap the floss tightly around the finger, each turn against the last, until you're past the knuckle.
  3. Take the end that's under the ring and unwind from the ring side. As it unwinds, the ring rides up over the wrapped finger and off.

Once it's off, let the swelling settle before you put it back on. If it's a regular problem, your size may have changed; see finding your ring size.

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