Wasp Sting: Reaction, Treatment, Remedy and Black Dot from a Wasp Sting

Have you ever been stung by a wasp? I never have been until just the other day! Let me tell you about my experience. It may help you if you ever get stung.

The Sting
I was minding my own business on the Friday morning of Memorial Day Weekend getting ready for work in my bathroom when I felt a burning sensation on my hand. I looked down to see a black wasp stinging my hand! I swatted it to the floor and covered it with the trash can so that I could tend to my wound. I can't believe I got stung in my own house! Who knows how it got in. You can bet I'm on the lookout all the time now!

First, I washed the area with soap and cold water the remove as much wasp venom as possible. Then, I got my powdered kaolin clay mask out, mixed with water and plastered it on the stung area. Kaolin is a white clay that has strong drawing power. It's a great mask to use on acne breakouts and mosquito bites because of it's drawing properties.

By this time, that nasty wasp had crawled out from under the trash can. I used my favorite bug weapon, hairspray, to disable her. I love a good multi purpose beauty product, don't you?! A quick flush of the toilet removed any further threat. I refer to the wasp as her because apparently, only female wasps have stingers.

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I went about my routine of getting dressed and doing my hair and makeup all the while worrying that my hand would be swollen and sore. I read about how bad a wasp sting can be. I had a full day scheduled at the salon with manicures, pedicures, waxings and facials and I didn't want to have to cancel anyone. My clients would be very unhappy to not look polished and hairless for the Memorial Day Weekend!

My husband asked if I was allergic to wasps. I said I didn't know, I was never stung by a wasp before. Great, another thing to worry about!

I rinsed the mask off which revealed a black dot where the wasp had stung me. Now I was worried that the stinger was still in there. I scrapped it with a plastic gift card to remove a stinger like you would do with a bee sting but the dot remained. You know you should never grab the stinger that is stuck in your skin from a bee with your fingers to remove it because squeezing it will force more venom into the skin. 

A quick consult with google informed me the wasps don't loose their stingers and can sting repeatedly!!! I'm really glad that hairspray was right at my fingertips! So what was that black dot? Was it a blood spot? Was it a bruise? Was it some kind a stain from the sting? I couldn't find any answers on the internet.

I reapplied my clay mask to continue absorbing the toxin from the skin. I think it worked beautifully at absorbing the wasp venom from my hand because the sting pinched and burned but not very much. Plus, the swelling was very localized. A cold gel pack we keep in the freezer helped to cool the sting down.

I headed to work. We use a wonderful clay mask called Yon-Ka Masque 103 during our facials.

It contains three types of clay, montmorillonite, bentonite and kaolin along with castor oil, lavender, geranium, rosemary, cypress and thyme. It's just perfect for drawing out toxins and soothing wounded skin. Masque 105 is the dry skin formula. Masque 103 is the oily skin formula.

I find the Masque 103 to be more soothing than my straight kaolin mask due to the oils it contains. I do think my powdered kaolin mask was perfect for drawing out the venom when the sting first happened, though. 

I used the Yon-Ka all day long while I worked. When it would dry, I would spray it with another magic skin care product, Lotion Yon-Ka, to re-moisten the mask and soothe the skin. The mask was on the sting consistently for about 10 hours.

Yon-Ka Masque 103 ingredients: water, montmorillonite, bentonite, kaolin, glycerin, PEG-35 castor oil, lavender oil, geranium leaf oil, rosemary leaf oil, cypress oil, thyme flower/leaf oil, orange oil, lemon peel oil, lime oil, sage oil, wild thyme extract, borneol, chlorphenesin, citric acid, limonene, linalool.

Yon-Ka Masque 105 ingredients: water, montmorillonite, bentonite, kaolin, glycerin,   lavender oil, geranium leaf oil, rosemary leaf oil, cypress oil, thyme flower/leaf oil, PEG-35 castor oil, lemon peel oil, savory extract, borneol, chlorphenesin, citric acid, limonene, linalool.

Lotion Yon-Ka is called a lotion but it's a toner with antiseptic properties that comes in two formulas, one for normal to oily skin types and one for dry skin types. The norm/oily skin formula is a bit more concentrated so it is my choice for treating a skin issue such as sun burn, an insect bite or a sting.

Lotion Yon-Ka normal to oily skin toner ingredients: water, PEG-35 caster oil, lavender oil, geranium leaf oil, rosemary leaf oil, cypress oil, thyme flower/leaf oil, chlorohexidine digluconate, sodium benzoate, linalool, citronellol, geraniol, limolene, coumarin, citral.

Lotion Yon-Ka dry skin ingredients: water, glycerin, PEG-35 caster oil, lavender oil, geranium leaf oil, rosemary leaf oil, cypress oil, thyme flower/leaf oil, red 40 Cl16035, chlorohexidine digluconate, linalool, citronellol, geraniol, limolene, coumarin.
As for the black dot, my clients and co workers didn't know what it was either since wasps don't lose their stingers.

I made it through the day just fine without having to cancel anyone. Everyone was beautified for the weekend. My hand barely hurt and the swelling stayed minimal. Thank goodness! I read that the redness and swelling can get worse 2-3 days after the sting.

The Black Dot
All was going pretty well the next day. The black dot was still there. It looked like maybe it could be a bit of blood under the skin. Up close, it actually looked like a squiggly line. The black dot felt like a little hard, like a scab or a splinter. 

I decided that black dot had to go, so I used my trusty pointed tweezers to pull it out like a splinter. It came out easily but in pieces with no issue. So what was it?

Here's what I think the black spot was. After reading a bit more about wasp stings and wasp anatomy, I have concluded that the black dot was a broken piece of the stinger. The wasp was in the act of stinging me when I swatted it to the floor. Part of the stinger broke off in the swatting process. I'm very confident in this is in fact what the black dot was. Mystery solved!

There are no worries about pulling the broken piece of wasp stinger out and forcing more venom into the skin because it's just a piece of the stinger and it doesn't have a venom sac attached to it like a bee stinger left in the skin has.

Here's what the sting looked like after I pulled the broken piece of stinger out.

The Allergic Reaction 
About 42 hours after the sting, it got itchy and started to get a little more swollen than it had been. Still not awful, though. The cold gel pack took away some of the itch and swelling while feeling more comfortable on sore skin than a hard ice pack.

Then, the hivey rash started!!! 

The rash was on the top side of my hand, not at the actual sting site. The rash was itchy and red. There were hives. I was having a localized allergic reaction. Hydrocortisone cream and the cold pack reduced the inflammation. I applied the hydrocortisone 3 times a day until the rash subsided.

Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to a wasp sting include tongue and throat swelling, wheezing, difficulty breathing, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, extreme redness and swelling at  the site. An emergency call to 911 is in order for that type of reaction! 

The itching, hives and rash lasted about a week and stayed very localized. I was lucky! Just one itchy spot remained longer than a week. 

Over all, I think my reaction was very minimal. I attribute it to my speedy application of clay mask. It absorbed a lot of the venom out of my skin. You can see more on how my skin reaction looked in my wasp sting video.

Watch my Wasp Sting: Black Dot, Reaction and How to Treat the Sting Video!

Jill's Wasp Sting Remedy

Clean it!

Wash the sting thoroughly with soap and cold water to remove as much venom as possible from the skin.

Tweeze it!
Remove any broken piece of stinger with tweezers.

Mask it!
Cover the sting with a clay mask to absorb the venom asap. I recommend a powdered kaolin mask for it's strong drawing power for the first hour or two after the sting. Rinse it off. Then, do an application of Yon-Ka Masque 103 or 105 for it's drawing, soothing and healing power for up to 10 hours. Keep the mask on continuously for the first day.

Spray it!
Spray the stung area with Lotion Yon-Ka to keep the mask moist and aid in the healing process. Continue to use Lotion Yon-Ka as needed for the days following the initial sting.

Ice it!
Apply a cold gel pack to reduce inflammation and relieve the pain and itching as needed.

Calm it!
Use hydrocortisone cream three times a day to calm any mild allergic reaction. Use it until the rash begins to subside.

Flush it!
Drink lots of water to help the body flush out the venom.

Always call 911 immediately for a severe allergic reaction.

Contact you doctor if the sting becomes infected or continues to be a problem after 2 weeks.

It's a good idea to have all the supplies on hand in case of a sting or other insect bite. You will be able to use the toner and masks as an important part of your skin care routine while you have them in case of a sting. The powdered kaolin clay, the Yon-Ka Masque 105 and the Lotion Yon-Ka are available on Amazon.

Shop for YonKa Skin Care Products

For you who are local to Media, Pa., The Styling Point Salon carries Yon-Ka products.

It's easy to find an over the counter hydrocortisone cream and a cold comfort gel pack at your local drug store. Those items are also available from Amazon for convenient delivery right to your front door!

There is another remedy one of my clients used on her bee sting to calm the reaction. She used a penny!

Read how to treat a bee sting with a penny

I have learned quite a bit about wasps and their stings from my experience. They say you learn something new every day. I hope my newly acquired knowledge helps you treat a wasp sting reaction too!

       Have a Beautiful Day! 

xo

Jill

Licensed Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Makeup Artist

 Wedding, special occasion or everyday makeup and skin care services available in the Philadelphia, Pa. area. Visit my makeup page for more information!

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