I don't have a whole lot of experience pruning prickly pear cacti here
in Ontario Canada but I was sent some as gifts by friends in the SW US
along with instructions to use newspaper to handle the things, if
handling was necessary.

They've overwintered here for almost three years now, producing copious
amounts of amazingly beautiful flowers and fruit.

In any case, on the issue of mico-spines embedded in flesh:

Years ago when I didn't know any better and used fibreglass insulation,
it would invariably leave irritating fibres embedded in all exposed
flesh. Slathering on a layer of woodworkers glue, waiting for it to
skin and then peeling off the skin would usually do the trick.

The same might work to remove the cacti pricks.


Den wrote:
Group:

I've just pruned back a rather large prickly pear! Given my
experience,
this will be the only time I do this!

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like
micro-spines in
my hands. These are painful, but nothing more. I'm working away
with a
pair of tweezers, but many of the micros-spines are nigh on
invisible. Any
ideas how to remove them, or to stop them hurting?

Cheers

Den