BITES, STINGS AND RASHES

‘MOST bites and stings will be painful or itchy but you won’t need more than overthe-counter medicines,’ says Sultan Dajani. ‘If you develop other symptoms — such as difficulty breathing — call 999.’ He recommends:

TWEEZERS Slanted tweezers, £2, boots.com

USE clean tweezers to pull out a splinter — but scrape them over a sting to brush it out of the skin, so you don’t squeeze poison into the wound. Then cover with a plaster.

ANTI-IRRITANT CREAM

eurax HC cream, 15g, £3.49, chemistdirect.co.uk THIS quick- acting cream relieves insect bites, allergies and dry skin. It contains crotamiton, which blocks the ‘itchy’ signals the body produces in response to an irritant. It also contains a corticosteroid, which reduces inflammation. It is not suitable on open wounds, your face or for children under ten.

ANTIHISTAMINES

Tesco hayfever and allergy relief, 30 tablets, £2.75 ONE-a-day tablets such as these work by switching off the body’s histamine receptors to reduce allergy symptoms — but you need to take them two or three days in advance to get the best effect. Tablets that cause drowsiness tend to work better but if you need to be alert, take these.

ANTI-FUNGAL CREAM

Canesten 1% clotrimazole, 15g, £3.09, boots.com A CREAM that is effective in treating fungal skin infections including athlete’s foot, fungal nappy rash and infections of the armpit, groin or folds of skin, and thrush. Clotrimazole works by killing off the germinating spores that cause infection.