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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