What to Do If Your Ring Finger Is Swelling

Your wedding ring or band is a symbol of your love and commitment, and unfortunately, your ring might not always fit. Sometimes your finger can grow and swell, making it hard to wear your ring or even take it off. Here are a few ways you can safely remove your ring without damaging your ring or your swollen finger.
 

Perfect Your Pull

There are a few simple tricks to make it easier when your ring finger is swelling. First, you want to twist the ring instead of pulling it. Trying to tug the ring off your finger can cause your skin to bunch at your knuckles. The extra skin will make it even more difficult to pull the tight ring off your finger and can even lead to further swelling. A gentle back and forth twist that works slowly up your finger is better than one strong pull.

How you hold your ring finger is also important. You should slightly relax your finger rather than fully extend it. Lightly bending your finger reduces the amount of skin that gathers at your knuckle.

When you get the ring to your knuckle, you should press up—not down—on the ring. This will help your ring rise above the top surface of the knuckle where the swelling most likely is happening.
 

Ice

Swelling happens for a variety of reasons, but a great way to reduce swelling is by cooling your hand. When your hand is cooler, your cells will contract which will make your fingers smaller. You might even notice this effect during winter when your ring is a bit more loose than normal. To cool your hand, make a simple ice pack and hold it for 15 or 20 minutes. Once the finger is sufficiently cooled, the ring should slide right off.
 

Elevation

An easy way to reduce the swelling anywhere in your body is to reduce the amount of blood flow. Raise your hand above your shoulder for five to ten minutes. This will reduce the amount of blood in your fingers. Your finger might get a bit tingly during the process, but it can help get the tricky ring off your finger.
 

Soap and Water

Sometimes reducing friction is the trick that will get your ring off. Using a gentle hand soap along with cold water, you can sometimes wiggle off a pesky stuck ring. Take your time when you use this trick to make sure the soap and water have sufficiently covered your finger and the inside of the ring.

One downside to this trick is that your hands get slippery which can make taking the ring off tricky. A paper towel can help you grab the ring, or you can always ask a friend or family member to help pull it off.

Another slippery solution is to use a glass cleaner. Most glass cleaners like Windex are very mild and safe to use on your hand and ring without any fear of damage.
 

Dental Floss

One of the fastest ways to get a ring off of a swollen finger is with dental floss. While any dental floss, ribbon, or string can work, waxed dental floss makes everything a little bit easier because of its smooth texture.

Step 1: Get about two feet of waxed floss.

Step 2: Thread one end of the floss through the ring top to bottom (from the tip of your finger towards your palm). The bottom of the dental string doesn’t have to be far into your palm, half an inch is more than enough.

Step 3: With the long end of the string, wrap it multiple times around your finger and continue wrapping it up past your first and second knuckles. It should be tight but not cause your finger to lose blood circulation. If you notice your fingertip is turning blue, you wrapped it too tight.

Step 4: Grab the short string in your palm and start to gently untwist the dental floss from your finger. As you untwist the floss the ring will be pushed off your finger.
 

Visit Your Jeweler

Sometimes your hand has simply grown larger since you put on your wedding ring. For many people, it is years between when they first put on their ring to the first time they take it off, and these tricks simply don’t work.

If you’ve tried everything and the ring is still stuck to your hand, visit Daniel’s Jewelers. We will safely cut your ring and keep your finger safe from injury. This process takes just a few seconds, and you’ll be back in action in no time.

Once your ring is cut, your jeweler will be able to repair and resize your ring. With Daniel’s Jewelers Protection Plan you get free resizing, tightening, re-tipping, polishing, cleaning, and inspection as part of the plan.