Video: How to Wash an Insect Bite

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Washing the insect bite area in this free video clip from an expert physician.

Video Transcript

Hello, my name is Dr. Susan Jewell. Now in this clip I'm going to talk to you about what to do if you get bitten by insects or stung by a bee. So the first thing to do when that happens is you have to wash the area off with soap and water and put antiseptic cream on it if you're bitten by an insect. If it's a bee sting, of course first thing to do is try to retrieve the sting out of the skin itself and then you have to clean in the same procedure. So for example here; say this little red mark here that I put on my hand is the actual area that has been bitten by the insect. Well the first thing I want to do is clean the area. So you get soapy water and here is some soap and you add it into the water and brush it around. First thing you do is get some cloth and put it in the soapy water and just really wash the area very, very well. Clean it off and then you pat it dry. Once you've done that, when you've cleansed it and you pat it dry, then you can put some of this antiseptic cream or ointment to prevent infection. So just put a bit of this. This is very readily available in any local pharmacy. So you just add a dab of this antiseptic cream onto the bite itself. That will help to reduce the risk of it getting infected and stop any kind of infection. And if you want to, you can put a band-aid over it but it's best just to let it breathe and heal naturally. Of course with the ointment on your hand, you can wash it in the soapy water and clean it. So that's the first thing you should do if you actually have an insect bite to stop infection.

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How to Wash an Insect Bite

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