Hey Guys!
I've heard a lot of discussion recently involving jellyfish sting treatments by tourists. As a biologist I wanted to do a thorough review of all of the products and give you some background as to why they're or are not worth your money on your trips as you may encounter them. I was stung twice by jellyfish as a child an once by a man-of-war. So....I went out to some beach stores and dive shops to see what I could find. I found four main products: Jellyfish Lotion by SafeSea, After Sting by the same company, Jellyfish Squish by Coastal Solutions, and Sting Away by Elkam Biotech. First let's examine the ingredients list in each of them before we even get into effectiveness. The jellyfish lotion simply has the same compounds commonly found in sunscreen. Their site shows a sting apparently with the use and without the use of the lotion-what they do not show is a test between their product and a regular bottle of sunscreen. Their After Sting product as the name implies is meant to be used after a jellyfish sting has occurred. The main ingredient in this product is ammonia - I'm assuming because anecdotal evidence suggests the use of urine in jellyfish stings. Studies show however this increases nematocyst (stinging cell) discharge. So does meat tenderizer, sea water, ethanol, and vinegar. Yikes! I combined a few nematocysts with the product in vitro (a test tube) myself to watch the reaction microscopically and bam! The toxin expulsed. Not a good idea.
Alright so next we have Jellyfish Squish by Coastal Solutions. This product even at first glance seems like it could be more effective. The main ingredient in this product is lidocaine - a local anesthetic that causes numbing. Seems like a good idea for a sting right? Well I put some squish in with a few nematocysts in vitro and took a look under the microscope. It didn't cause the stinging cells to open up. I also put a few cells on my skin and the product did numb the stinging site quite a bit. I also found scientific literature solidifying the use of lidocaine in the treatment of stings. My only concern is toxin that has already been release prior to the application. Also the spray bottle, although much better than applying a product directly (which would cause increased nematocyst firing), simply coats the area and does not spray away the cells.
Lastly, we have Sting Away by Elkam Biotech. This product is more expensive. It's about 5 bucks for After Sting and 10 bucks for Jellyfish Squish and 16 bucks a bottle for this stuff. The ingredients list is quite long. It contains eugenol and menthol (more anesthetics for numbing) but also contains the plant Ipomoea pes-caprae. I had never heard of this stuff but when I looked it up it turns out the Thai people use it for jellyfish stings. I also came across a paper specifically demonstrating its effectiveness for jellyfish stings. The product also contain's ibuprofen - I'm assuming as an antiinflammatory as most stings cause inflammation. Well as you might imagine I put the stuff in a test tube with some stinging cells and what I saw under the microscope was pretty amazing. The toxin that was released from my stirring appeared to dissolve in solution. It must have just broken down. In addition to that it didn't cause any additional nematocyts to fire either. The Sting Away also comes in a black squirt bottle (apparently for solar absorption as warm water also assists with pain associated with stinging). The squirting action of the bottle I'm assuming would rinse rather than coat stinging cells away. The only problem with this product is they seem to only do wholesale to large companies.
So all in all I'd rank them Sting Away as the best, Jellyfish Squish as pretty good, and After Sting. It seems to make sense as you get what you pay for. Pick up a bottle for your next coastal trip. I think I've got enough to last me for a while
What about you guys? Do you have any experience with these products?
I've heard a lot of discussion recently involving jellyfish sting treatments by tourists. As a biologist I wanted to do a thorough review of all of the products and give you some background as to why they're or are not worth your money on your trips as you may encounter them. I was stung twice by jellyfish as a child an once by a man-of-war. So....I went out to some beach stores and dive shops to see what I could find. I found four main products: Jellyfish Lotion by SafeSea, After Sting by the same company, Jellyfish Squish by Coastal Solutions, and Sting Away by Elkam Biotech. First let's examine the ingredients list in each of them before we even get into effectiveness. The jellyfish lotion simply has the same compounds commonly found in sunscreen. Their site shows a sting apparently with the use and without the use of the lotion-what they do not show is a test between their product and a regular bottle of sunscreen. Their After Sting product as the name implies is meant to be used after a jellyfish sting has occurred. The main ingredient in this product is ammonia - I'm assuming because anecdotal evidence suggests the use of urine in jellyfish stings. Studies show however this increases nematocyst (stinging cell) discharge. So does meat tenderizer, sea water, ethanol, and vinegar. Yikes! I combined a few nematocysts with the product in vitro (a test tube) myself to watch the reaction microscopically and bam! The toxin expulsed. Not a good idea.
Alright so next we have Jellyfish Squish by Coastal Solutions. This product even at first glance seems like it could be more effective. The main ingredient in this product is lidocaine - a local anesthetic that causes numbing. Seems like a good idea for a sting right? Well I put some squish in with a few nematocysts in vitro and took a look under the microscope. It didn't cause the stinging cells to open up. I also put a few cells on my skin and the product did numb the stinging site quite a bit. I also found scientific literature solidifying the use of lidocaine in the treatment of stings. My only concern is toxin that has already been release prior to the application. Also the spray bottle, although much better than applying a product directly (which would cause increased nematocyst firing), simply coats the area and does not spray away the cells.
Lastly, we have Sting Away by Elkam Biotech. This product is more expensive. It's about 5 bucks for After Sting and 10 bucks for Jellyfish Squish and 16 bucks a bottle for this stuff. The ingredients list is quite long. It contains eugenol and menthol (more anesthetics for numbing) but also contains the plant Ipomoea pes-caprae. I had never heard of this stuff but when I looked it up it turns out the Thai people use it for jellyfish stings. I also came across a paper specifically demonstrating its effectiveness for jellyfish stings. The product also contain's ibuprofen - I'm assuming as an antiinflammatory as most stings cause inflammation. Well as you might imagine I put the stuff in a test tube with some stinging cells and what I saw under the microscope was pretty amazing. The toxin that was released from my stirring appeared to dissolve in solution. It must have just broken down. In addition to that it didn't cause any additional nematocyts to fire either. The Sting Away also comes in a black squirt bottle (apparently for solar absorption as warm water also assists with pain associated with stinging). The squirting action of the bottle I'm assuming would rinse rather than coat stinging cells away. The only problem with this product is they seem to only do wholesale to large companies.
So all in all I'd rank them Sting Away as the best, Jellyfish Squish as pretty good, and After Sting. It seems to make sense as you get what you pay for. Pick up a bottle for your next coastal trip. I think I've got enough to last me for a while
What about you guys? Do you have any experience with these products?