I recently got stung by a wasp while walking my dog in the afternoon. I thought it was just one of these minor incidents and would go away on its own. I waited until a few hours had passed, but there was no improvement. The sting area looked like someone squeezed lemon on my skin and the pain was quickly turning into a burn. I didn’t want to wait any longer and took action. I wanted something that would get rid of the pain and reduce swelling fast! Some of the stuff I found online didn’t seem too reliable so I tried making a mixture myself at home. Well, it worked great! So great that I thought I’d share it with other people who find themselves in a similar situation.<br><br> Have you ever been stung by a wasp? How about multiple times in the past 24 hours? You are not alone. More on this later. The stings started with me taking my kids strawberry picking at our local u-pick berry farm. We were picking strawberries and making plans to explore the rest of the farm when I noticed that I had been stung by a wasp on my upper arm. I remembered what I learned from a previous visit — which is if you get stung, get out of the area and away from where you were if the bees are swarming around. So I did that, and we walked to another part of the farm. It wasn’t more than five minutes later when it happened again — this time in between my shoulder blades, followed soon after by another sting to my wrist/arm as I tried to swat them away.

How To Make A Wasp Sting Swelling Go Down

Introduction

If you came to this blog post after being stung by a wasp, I’m so sorry! That sounds really painful. To help out, I’ve gathered some tips and tricks used by doctors and other medical professionals to make the swelling go down. Follow these instructions at your own risk. If you have allergies or if the swelling doesn’t go down after a few days, please see a doctor immediately or call 911.

Ice is your best friend here.

Ice is your best friend here. Ice can help reduce inflammation, and it’s especially useful if the swelling is accompanied by pain or an intense sensation of heat. To apply ice, wrap a towel around the area you want to treat and hold it in place with a bandage. Leave the ice on for no longer than 15 minutes at a time and only do so as needed—you don’t want to freeze your skin! Make sure that when you’re applying ice, you change positions frequently (e.g., from lying down to standing up) so that blood can flow properly through your body and reduce overall swelling in general.

Painkillers can help as well.

If you’re lucky, a painkiller like Advil or Tylenol will do the trick. In some cases, according to a 2016 study published in The Journal of Pain, taking acetaminophen (the drug found in Tylenol and Excedrin) within six hours of being stung can help reduce swelling by up to 30%. If you’re one who’s allergic to aspirin and all other types of NSAIDs—like ibuprofen and naproxen—you can still use acetaminophen as long as it doesn’t cause an allergic reaction for you. In fact, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), this is also safe for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

For those who’d rather not take medication or want something stronger than over-the-counter painkillers, there are many prescription options out there depending on your doctor’s preferences and protocols. More often than not though it’ll be either hydrocortisone cream or antihistamines like Benadryl which will help with swelling and itching respectively.

Baking soda works as a paste applied to the site of the sting.

It’s important to neutralize the acid in a wasp sting as quickly as possible, which is why baking soda is a good home remedy for wasp stings. Baking soda is alkaline and helps to neutralize the venom.

To use baking soda as a paste, mix it with water and apply it to the sting site. The mixture should be thin enough that it can be spread easily over your skin, but not so thin that it runs off before you’ve had time to apply it all over yourself.

Honey might work, but nobody knows why.

Honey is a natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-allergenic. It also contains antioxidants that may help reduce the swelling, pain and inflammation from a wasp sting.

There are no clinical trials that show honey to reduce swelling or speed healing time for a wasp sting, but there are some studies suggesting it might help:

Applying pressure is also effective.

You can also apply pressure to the area, using a bandage or even your hand.

“If you don’t have a Band-Aid, use your hand,” said Dr. Caroline McBride of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “Wrap it up for 30 minutes, then remove for 30 minutes.” Repeat this cycle multiple times throughout the day until swelling goes down.

If you know you’re going to be outside, pack some ice with your picnic.

If you’re planning a picnic, bring some ice with you. You can put it in a plastic bag and pack it in your cooler, or wrap the bag of ice directly in a towel and put that into the cooler. Ice will keep food cool as well as minimizing swelling from wasp stings. Don’t forget to fill up your water balloons with ice too! If you don’t have any ice at all, try making do with cold drinks instead; if possible, keep these beverages away from direct sunlight (this will help minimize heat-related swelling).

Conclusion

Now that you know how to make a wasp sting swelling go down, it’s time to get out there and try these methods. If you’re not sure which one to use first or have any other questions about what we’ve covered here today, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask! We hope this article helps you feel better soon.