Sea Lice in Cancun - Treatment

Ouch! the sea lice got me - what do I do now?

Well a sea lice irritation is a kind of dermatitis i.e. an inflammation of the skin. Many of the treatment methods are similar to other kinds of dermatitis such as eczema.

An antihistamine such as diphenhydramine will soothe the itching plus a hydrocortisone cream of 0.5% should be applied. If the affect is severe then a corticosteroid steroid cream may be considered. I am not 100% sure but I suspect this will not require a prescription in Cancun, not a lot of things do!

For comfort applying calamine lotion will also help.

Safe Sea is not a treatment it is a preventative measure and therefore should not be applied after an attack has already occurred.

If the situation is severe then Doctors advice should be sought. Remember, it is possible that any developing rash while on your vacation may not be due to a sea lice attack and could possibly be something more serious.

Typically though, if a rash develops within 24 hours following swimming in the ocean between March and August, then there is a good chance they got you, particularly if you didn't follow the advice contained on our sea lice prevention page.

You should also remember that this is not contagious, so if other members of your group and/or other vacationers are showing similar symptoms you can bet that it is related to sea lice.

But I'm in Cancun and don't know where to get this stuff?

Yes you're in Cancun but we still have pharmacies and we also have Doctors, some of whom know what they are doing. Most hotels will have a Hotel Doctor either resident or on call.

The large supermarkets such as Walmart, Chedarui, Commercial Mexicana and Soriana all have large pharmacies with qualified pharmacists. These supermarkets are all located downtown. Walmart and Chedarui are easy to find. You can catch the bus to Walmart, and Chedarui is also on the bus route - you'll see it on your left hand side almost as soon as leaving the main Hotel Zone Avenue.

In the Hotel Zone there are also smaller pharmacies who may or may not have what you require. These are too numerous to list but a few off the top of my head:

• Plaza Flamingo

• In the Party Center near Dady O

• Opposite the Blue Bay Getaway.

Just hail a cab and ask him to take you to the nearest one.