Skin Soothers Doctors Swear By
“One summer, my family and I were staying at this beautifully landscaped home with many blossoming flowers—and many bees to go with them!” recalls mother-of- two Melissa Doft, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the Weill Cornell Medical School in New York City. “So it was no surprise my son got stung when he went running after his soccer ball.” Once Dr. Doft was sure the stinger was gone (leaving it in can lead to further irritation and possibly infection, she says), she made a paste of equal parts baking soda and water and applied it to the sting with a spoon. “Baking soda works to neutralize the acidic venom, relieving pain in just minutes,” explains Dr. Doft. And while she uses this easy DIY paste on bee stings, it can relieve the ouch of any bug bite. “It’s a trick I learned from my mother, but the ice cream afterward was all my idea!”