The summer holidays arrive and trips to the coast increase. During this time of year it is common to bathe on the beach to relieve yourself of the generalized heat of the summer months, but when swimming it is possible to come across something dangerous: jellyfish stings. The jellyfish is an invertebrate animal that proliferates in warm waters. Their stings have many levels of severity, and their effects depend on the type of jellyfish and the person receiving it.
In the vast majority of cases, the bites cause intense pain in the affected area that acquires a reddish color and subsequent inflammation, so it is essential to know several tips to deal with these bites. In his last interview in Better Late, dermatologist Antonio Clemente has shared his wisdom to help us this summer.
The first thing we should do if a jellyfish stings us is to prevent the poison from spreading further: “If there are remains of tentacles, you have to remove it,” says Clemente, who states that we should never do it with fresh water: “Fresh water It has been seen that it can even increase the release of venom. You have to wash abundantly with seawater. If there are tentacles left, they should not be removed by hand,” adds the dermatologist.
Clemente recommends the use of tweezers, a credit card, gloves or a fork, in short, some object that can remove it without touching it with the hand. Regarding pain, it has been shown that what reduces it the most “is immersing the affected part in hot water”, something that we cannot access on the beach.
As for what is prohibited, we should not rub the bite with a towel, since the poison spreads, just like if we use sand: “One of the remedies that is widely known is vinegar, but the problem is that it does not work with all jellyfish”, explains Clemente. Finally, he points out that ammonia and urine are prohibited for this type of sting.
