Insect bite, swelling and redness: treatment. A photo

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Insect bite, swelling and redness: treatment. A photo
Insect bite, swelling and redness: treatment. A photo
Anonim

In the spring-summer period, the life of insects is activated. In most cases, their coexistence with a person is not considered something bad. However, it is worth distinguishing between absolutely harmless individuals and those that can pose a danger to human he alth. To date, science is aware of the existence of more than 5 million species of insects. In this case, the most common on the globe are Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, which include beetles and butterflies, as well as Hymenoptera - ants, wasps, mosquitoes and bees. It is insects from the Hymenoptera order that most often become the culprits for the appearance of tumors, redness and swelling on the human body, which are the result of their bites.

insect bite swelling
insect bite swelling

Are insect bites dangerous?

Many are sure that the only thing that the victim can remember an insect bite is a tumor. However, the reality tells a completely different story: the mortality rate from hymenoptera bites is more than 3 times higher than that from venomous snake bites. The reason for such indicators is that 80% of the world's population has an allergy to proteins that enter the human body along with saliva or hymenoptera venom.

allergy to insect stings
allergy to insect stings

What else can insect bites be dangerous for? First, these creatures are often carriers of various microorganisms that can cause severe diseases in a bitten person, such as typhus, West Nile fever and leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and dysentery, Lyme disease and encephalitis. This is not a complete list of diseases that can be transmitted by blood-sucking insects, which include fleas, lice, mosquitoes and mosquitoes.

Signs of complications

The natural reaction of the human body to an insect bite is swelling and redness of the skin. Approximately 80% of people bitten feel itching, burning or even pain at the point where the poison or saliva enters the body. In 45% of cases, an allergy to insect bites can develop, which is manifested by the following symptoms:

  • redness and itching of the skin away from the bite;
  • rashes on the body, urticaria;
  • dizziness;
  • confusion;
  • breathing difficulties;
  • swelling of the soft tissues of the nasal cavity, pharynx and mouth;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • febrile conditions;
  • increased body temperature to subfebrile levels;
  • pain or pressure in the chest.

The appearance of any of the above symptoms should be a signal for immediate medical attention, because with further aggravation of the symptomatic manifestations of an allergic reaction, a person may experience anaphylactic shock.

In addition, a seemingly normal tumor after an insect bite can develop into purulent inflammation of the subcutaneous fatty tissue, to prevent which it is enough to treat the wound with a disinfectant.

How to treat insect bites

At home, there are several fairly effective ways and means to quickly and effectively remove the tumor from an insect bite. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the surface of the skin around the wound with ordinary soap and warm water. This will remove the chitinous particles of the insect itself remaining on the body or inside, as well as the remnants of saliva or poison injected by it. Remember: never scratch the bite, even if itching is unbearable!

With such a phenomenon as insect bites, treatment consists in eliminating painful symptoms: itching, burning and swelling. This can be done with the use of external medicines, with the help of oral medication and folk methods. Consider each technique in more detail.

External remedies for insect bites

With slight swelling and slight redness, it is enough to apply a piece of ice to the bite site, and in other cases it is necessary to use ointments, creams or gels after insect bites. Before choosing a specific dosage form, it is necessary to understand how they differ from each other. Almost all antihistamine or anti-inflammatory ointments that are used to eliminate symptoms after an insect bite contain the same active ingredients. The only difference is how quickly the product is absorbed into the skin. The ointment is absorbed the slowest, the cream is a little faster, and the gels are absorbed in just a couple of minutes.

insect bites treatment
insect bites treatment

With an average degree of hyperemia and swelling, severe itching, you should use antihistamines that are available without a doctor's prescription. With their help, you can quickly get rid of these symptoms. Antihistamine ointment for insect bites should be applied directly to the wound. The situation is somewhat different with ointments and gels for itching, which include menthol. They must be applied only to the skin around the wound. Such products do not cure insect bites, swelling and itching, they only have a distracting effect.

The following external medicines are considered the most popular:

  • gel "Fenistil";
  • gel "Psilo-balm";
  • cream or ointment "Bepanthen";
  • cream or ointment "Afloderm";
  • calamine lotion;
  • Cream "Elidel".

Insect bites. Treatment with pills

Gels and ointments may not always be effective enough. If multiple insect bites appear on the body, treatment with external agents can be supplemented by taking oral medications, which include the steroid drugs Dimedrol, Benadryl and others. In addition, with inflammation of the bite sites, it is necessary to use antimicrobial tablets. Acute reactions involve the use of Epinephrine injections.

ointment for insect bites
ointment for insect bites

Folk treatments for insect bites

Allergy to insect bites, in addition to the use of pharmaceutical preparations, can be eliminated by folk remedies. The most famous and effective plants that will help relieve swelling, itching and inflammation are plantain, elderberry, dandelion, Veronica officinalis and many others. In addition, in the past two decades, food-related products such as baking soda and acetic acid have been used quite often to eliminate the symptoms of allergy to hymenoptera bites.

Folk remedies should be used with caution, as many of them themselves are allergens that can worsen the condition of an already affected skin. To protect the victim from complications by helping with insect bites using folk methods, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the recipes for the preparation of healing compounds and the rules for their use.

Treat with garlic

Garlic is one of the most affordable remedies for eliminating redness and swelling, which was the result of damage to the skin by tiny jaws or stings of winged inhabitants of nature. The first thing that distinguishes an insect bite is a tumor (photo above). You can get rid of it with the help of an aqueous infusion of garlic. To prepare it, it is necessary to chop on a fine grater or pass a couple of heads of garlic through a press and pour the resulting mass with a glass of boiled cooled water. Moisten with infusion a sterile bandage or a piece of tissue and apply to the bite site. This remedy will be useful in the treatment of bites of blood-sucking insects: mosquitoes, horseflies and midges.

In addition to the infusion, you can also use gruel from one clove of garlic, applying it to the skin on a bandage. This remedy is more effective for stings of stinging insects - wasps and bees. When suppuration appears in the wound, you can mix the mass of garlic with honey in equal proportions. It should be reminded that this method requires caution in people with sensitive skin, as garlic juice can cause severe burns.

Cabbage as a remedy for insect bites

Cabbage leaves are popularly considered the most effective remedy for reducing swelling from insect bites. They are applied as follows: they take a thin part of the sheet and dip it in hot water for a few seconds to soften it a little. After that, it is applied to the area of the skin that has been exposed to insects, covered with a film on top and fixed with a cloth. This compress will allow you to get rid of severe swelling and pain from the bite of stinging insects in just one night.

insect bite swelling and redness
insect bite swelling and redness

Cabbage ointment from insect bites with suppuration also has a good effect. To prepare it, you will need a quarter of a head of cabbage (fresh), a bunch of parsley and about 50 g of pork interior fat. Cabbage should be chopped to a puree state, parsley should be chopped and juice squeezed out of it. Mix the resulting ingredients with fat, mix well. It is best to store this remedy in the refrigerator. It is necessary to apply the ointment twice a day for an insect bite, the swelling will subside in about a day, and the itching or pain will pass even faster.

Soda and vinegar

Insect bites that cause severe itching can be treated with baking soda paste. In order to prepare a remedy, it is necessary to dilute soda with a small amount of water so that a sufficiently thick mass is obtained from which a cake can be formed. The paste is applied directly to the annoying insect bite, fixing it with a piece of bandage and a medical plaster. In addition, washing with soda water (1 tsp per glass of water) is useful. This method is more suitable for cases where the bites are multiple and it is not possible to apply baking soda paste to a large surface of the skin.

swelling after an insect bite
swelling after an insect bite

Used as a medicinal external agent and table 3% vinegar, preferably apple. A bandage moistened with it or a clean cloth is applied to the redness and swelling resulting from the bite of blood-sucking insects for 20-30 minutes. During the application of this product, it is necessary to ensure that the vinegar does not get into the combs, as this can cause a burn. It is also unacceptable to use undiluted vinegar or essence.

Spice herbs

If an insect bite has appeared on the body, the tumor can also be removed with the help of herbs that any housewife can find. Most often, basil and mint are used for these purposes. A decoction of basil (boil 2 tablespoons of dried herb for 5 minutes in 0.5 liters of water, cool) drink 1/2 cup 3 times a day with severe itching, which often threatens with severe scratching. Mint is used both fresh, applying the juice of crushed leaves to the bitten place, and in the form of poultices: a large pinch of fresh grass is tightly tied into gauze and dipped in boiling water for 5 minutes, after which it is removed and cooled a little. Apply a gauze bag with mint to the bite at least 3 times a day for 20-30 minutes. A decoction of this herb can be used as a rub on the skin to reduce itching and swelling.

remove swelling from insect bite
remove swelling from insect bite

Soap and other hygiene products

Often, such remedies as dark laundry soap and toothpaste are also used as a healing agent to eliminate itching, redness and swelling during bites. To reduce the swelling, it is enough to thickly lather the affected areas of the skin twice a day, and with severe itching, traditional healers recommend applying a small amount of mint toothpaste to the bites.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that insect bites that cause severe discomfort (pain, itching, swelling or suppuration) should be seen by a doctor, as these symptoms may indicate an allergy or infection of the wound.

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