Wound Be Gone: A Complete Care of Insect Bites
Stings and bites from insects are common. They often result in redness and swelling in the injured area. Sometimes a sting can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction. When an insect bites, it releases a form of saliva that can cause symptoms such as inflammation, blisters, and irritation. These mild reactions are common and may last from a few hours to a few days. Home treatment is often all that is needed to relieve the symptoms of a mild reaction to common stinging or biting insects and spiders.
Bee, wasp, and hornet stings and fire ant bites usually hurt. Mosquito, flea and mite bites usually itch. Insects can also transmit diseases, such as yellow fever and malaria. Some people have more severe reactions to bites or stings. Babies and children may be more affected by bites or stings than adults.
Many patients confuse an insect bite with a sting and may use the terms interchangeably. A bite is usually from mouth parts and occurs when an insect is agitated to defend itself or when an insect seeks to feed. Bites from mosquitoes, fleas, bed bugs, and mites are more likely to cause itching than pain. A stinging apparatus is usually a sharp organ of offense or defense, especially when connected with a venom gland, and adapted to inflict a wound by piercing, as the caudal sting of a scorpion. The stinger is typically located at the rear of the animal. Animals with a stinger include bees, wasps, hornets, and scorpions. Most stinging insects are of the order Hymenoptera, which includes ants, bees, and wasps. Hymenoptera stings result in more fatalities than stings or bites from any other arthropod. Wasps can bite and sting at the same time.
A person may experience a severe reaction beyond the immediate area of the sting if they are allergic to the bite or sting. This is known as anaphylaxis. Symptoms of a severe reaction include hives, wheezing, shortness of breath, unconsciousness, and even death within 30 minutes. A sting on the tongue may cause throat swelling and death because of airway obstruction. Stings from large hornets or multiple (hundreds or thousands) bee stings have been rarely reported to cause muscle breakdown and kidney failure. Bites from a fire ant typically produce a pustule, or a pimple-like sore, that is extremely itchy and painful.
Medical help should be taken in the following conditions:
• If a person starts to experience symptoms that are not just at the site of
the bite or sting (and he doesn't even has a history of severe reactions).
These symptoms (systemic symptoms affect the whole body) may progress to
fatal anaphylactic shock.
• If the bite appears infected (redness with or without pus, warmth, fever, or
a red streak that spreads toward the body).
• If it is not known what has bitten the person, they he should watch the
area closely to be sure that it does not gets infected. Medical help should
be taken if there is an open wound, which may suggest a poisonous spider.
• People who have a history of severe reactions should go to the nearest
hospital's emergency department after a bite or sting if they experience
any symptoms.
The affected area should be washed with soap and water. A cold pack should be applied over the area to reduce swelling and pain. A topical gel such as wound be gone or a hydrocortisone cream should be applied over that area. Taking an antihistamine would help in this situation as well.
There are a number of over the counter topical gels available nowadays, which can be applied over insect bites. But some of them contain antibiotics and different biological materials which make the affected area worse. Wound be gone is a revolutionary topical gel clinically proven to fasten the wound healing process. Its patented active ingredient helps in reducing the pain and swelling, and it also prevents the wound from being contaminated. Wound be gone is one of the few topical gels which doesn't have any side effects and is safe to be used by a person of any age.