HELP! Cactus Needles - Allergic Reaction?

[OuiOui]

My 11month old was downstairs with her au pair this morning when there was a big crash. Fortunately she wasn't hurt but the gravel from the cactus came over her and it shed a lot of its needles - they're very soft and fine so don't "hurt" They're stuck in her forehead and front hairline and it now looks really blotchy. We went to Drs as wanted advice on how to remove the needles and check for allergic reaction. Dr said it looked fine but I'm still worried. The blotchiness is really bad, we only managed to remove some of the needles, - anyone got any ideas?

OuiOui, I know it sounds a bit of a long-shot but you could try ringing Kew Gardens (or somewhere similar near you) and asking them what they do - I'm sure they have similar incidents! I'd imagine the localised blotchiness is a like when you get stung by nettles - and an antihistamine might help. good luck!

Was it one of those 'hairy' cacti? Dd spent ages stroking ours before I noticed - she had lots of tiny fine needles stuck in her hand and they really irritated. I put her in a bath of warm water and tea-tree (my stock remedy for all ills ), eventually all the needles came out and she's never touched it since.

Enid, yes it is kind of soft and hairy. What is this tea- tree - do you mean tea tree oil? how about cold tea bags? what else do you use tea tree for?

Enid, what do you mean by "eventually"???

Dd is constantly stinging herself/scratching herself (we live in the countryside and there's lots of wildlife/brambles/nettles everywhere - oh, and I collect cacti!) and I find a warm bath with a few drops of tea tree oil in soothes most rashes/stings/bites. I think she now associates the smell of tea tree with 'medicine' and it instantly calms her.

The little 'hairs' certainly stung/irritated dd's hands, I put a plaster over the bits where I could see the most hairs and by the next day they had all gone.

Perhaps you could bathe the area with warm water and a bit of teatree (be careful it doesnt go in her eyes though!) Apart from the blotchiness, does she seem to be hurt at all?

Anthisan is a good medicinal cream for bites/stings.

You have to be careful with tea-tree, my husband is v. allergic to it. It sensitises i.e. gets worse the more you use it, he ended up in casualty and nearly lost his arm before we realised what he was reacting to. The vast majority of people (myself included) can use tea-tree with no problems but it's best to keep an eye out, because the allergic reaction causes an infection and we were using the tea-tree on cuts etc. which may get infected anyway it was ages before we realised. I use lavender oil most of the time now.

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My son, at 3½, has set his heart on making a cactus garden. We've now got a suitable container, some cactus compost and are just saving up for the cactii. Have spoken to the florist in the area who has the best, and best kept, selection and she gave me a handy hint. For 'needles' from the hairy kind of cactus, use olive oil to get them out. Neglected to ask exactly how though, perhaps wiping with a cloth after the oil's been on a bit, or like Enid suggests, covering with a plaster.

I get bad red blotches when scratched by brambles in the garden, antihistamine cream (Anthistan) soon sorts it out.

thanks for all the advice. DD is at nursery today and seems pretty happy.:-)