Ways To Prevent And Treat Fire Ant Bites

Apply Steroid Creams

Steroid creams are a great way to help jump-start the skin's healing process. The main objective of a topical steroid is to decrease inflammation. The steroids make special proteins called lipocortin, which inhibits the production of arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is a major element in the inflammatory response, so without it, the inflammation is greatly reduced in the area of application. When the immune system in the body gets wind of the fire ant venom, it excretes chemicals that exacerbate the inflammation. Steroids are able to block this immune system action, effectively preventing the inflammation from worsening. When an inflammatory response to the fire ant bites occurs, the capillaries in the affected regions dilate to facilitate the passing of white blood cells and other materials to help combat the foreign toxin. This capillary dilation is what causes the redness and swelling that happens with inflammatory responses. Topical steroid creams help constrict those dilated capillaries and decrease redness and swelling. Any individual who has been bitten by fire ants should apply steroid creams to the bite to help with itching as well.

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Apply A Cold Compress

When an individual is bitten by fire ants, they should never try to use heat to treat the bites. Heat will worsen the inflammation and make the bites burn more than they already do. Instead, anyone who is bitten by fire ants should apply a cold compress on the bite for interchanging intervals of fifteen minutes on and fifteen minutes off. The ice can be placed in a towel and then applied, or an ice pack can be applied. Ice should never be placed directly on the skin. A cold compress with ice will have a numbing effect on the skin, helping reduce itching and pain. Cold compresses also help with the constriction of the blood vessels dilated as a result of an inflammatory response. This reduces any redness and swelling that may appear in the regions where an individual was bitten. Aside from the technical reasons to use a cold compress on fire ant bites, it can simply cool down the area and reduce general discomfort.

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