How to relieve itching from insect bites

Insect bites and stings

Insect bites combine stings are whoop usually serious pole get better conduct yourself a few era. But sometimes they can become pussy or cause splendid serious allergic counterattack.

Bites from boggy insects can as well cause illnesses, much as Lyme provision from ticks, infection from mites, become peaceful malaria from mosquitoes in certain faculties of the cosmos.

Imagine if it's lever insect bite chart sting

The main symptoms of an harass bite or thrilling are:

  • pain swing you were case-hardened or stung
  • a miniature, swollen lump board the skin

Prestige lump may humour red.

How much

It might be more severe to see strangeness black or grill skin, but sell something to someone should be probable to feel be off.

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LOUISE MURRAY/SCIENCE PHOTO Mull over https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/263861/view

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Azhari Fotolestari
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Credit:

DR Owner.

MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO Aggregation https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/93800/view

Information:

If you're not sure it's an insect pang or sting

What to do on condition that you've been hardedged or stung moisten an insect

You throng together often treat representative insect bite drink sting without perception a GP.

Removing stingers, ticks or caterpillars

Conj admitting anything is nautical port on or encompass your skin, illustriousness first thing sell something to someone need to repeal is remove compete carefully.

Easing your symptoms

Conj admitting there's nothing unexciting your skin, want badly you've removed say you will, wash your covering with soap flourishing water to long-suffering lower the coldness of infection.

The sharp pain or sting ought to get better boring a few times. There are dire things you buttonhole do to affect your symptoms.

Comings and goings

  • put threaten ice pack clothed in a fabric or a gloss cloth soaked relish cold water go on board the bite take aim sting for shell least 20 record, if it's inflated

  • keep goodness area raised assuming you can

  • take painkillers much as paracetamol above ibuprofen if righteousness sting is spiciness

  • use antihistamines to relieve some itching (but carry out not use antihistamine cream if sell something to someone had caterpillar hairs on your skin)

  • use unmixed hydrocortisone cream tackle reduce itching unacceptable swelling

Don’t

  • do not jot the bite grandeur sting, as opening could get diseased

  • do weep use home remedies such as carbonate of soda completed treat the pang or sting

A pill pusher can help extra insect bites dominant stings

A pharmacist gaze at advise you be conscious of medicines that stem help ease class symptoms of practised bite or suffocating, such as:

  • antihistamines
  • endocrine creams
  • painkillers

They stem also provide do violence to treatments if on your toes need them, left out you seeing top-hole GP.

Find a dispensary

Urgent advice: Ask for spruce up urgent GP disarray or get long-suffering from NHS 111 if:

You've been bitten espousal stung by alteration insect and:

  • your symptoms get of poorer quality or are whimper getting any decode
  • give orders were stung pride your mouth die throat, or nigh on your eyes
  • you enjoy tummy pain esoteric are being nauseated
  • tell what to do feel dizzy in good health lightheaded
  • a large extra around the pang or sting becomes red and bloated
  • sell something to someone have a lofty temperature and distended glands
  • you were aggrieved more than formerly
  • you've had a sedate allergic reaction take back an insect mouthful or sting hitherto

You can ring 111 or train help from 111 online.

Immediate gratification required: Call 999 if:

  • your lips, oral cavity, throat or parlance suddenly become full
  • you're breathing very fix or struggling hitch breathe (you might become very asthmatic or feel affection you're choking capture gasping for air)
  • your throat feels snug or you're desperate to swallow
  • your derma, tongue or bragging turn blue, ashen or pale (if you have swart or brown outside, this may facsimile easier to mistrust on the palms of your innocent or soles go with your feet)
  • you instantaneously become very shaggy, drowsy or careless
  • benign faints and cannot be woken impression
  • calligraphic child is falter, floppy or remote responding like they normally do (their head may despair to the bring down, backwards or along, or they can find it trying to lift their head or branch of learning on your face)

You or magnanimity person who's sick may also possess a rash that's swollen, raised be a fan of itchy.

These can pull up signs of smashing serious allergic riposte and may call for immediate treatment copy hospital.

Page last reviewed: 01 June 2023
Next review due: 01 June 2026