HOW TO GET RID OF MOSQUITO BITES
Many people, especially in the Summer months, get bitten by mosquitoes when outdoors. Whether your camping, up at the cottage, hiking or simply sitting in your backyard or on your balcony, mosquitos are always looking for their next target.
Mosquitos use their mouths to bite and therefore puncture your skin to feed on your blood for nourishment. Mosquito bites are the itchy bumps that appear after you’ve been bitten. Mosquito bites can affect people differently. If your bite becomes very swollen and painful or you have difficulty breathing, seek medical attention. Otherwise the bump usually clears up on its own in a few days, however these bumps can be extremely irritating, itchy, and red.
To help ease the itchiness, here is a list of remedies that are known to help rid your mosquito bites.
- DON’T SCRATCH – When you scratch a mosquito bite, the skin gets more inflamed and irritated and therefore becomes itchier. When bites are scratched you run the risk of breaking the skin which can lead to an infection.
- APPLY AN ANTI-ITCH CREAM – There are many topical creams and lotions that can be applied to your mosquito bite to stop the itching and reduce the swelling. For temporary relief, look for products that contain numbing agents. As an added benefit, look for creams such as Zax’s Bug Bite & Itch Cream that contain menthol or peppermint.
- TAKE AN ANTIHISTAMINE – Over the counter oral antihistamines can help reduce the inflammation and itchiness by lowering your bodies histamine reaction to the bite. Seek medical advice as to which might be right for you.
- APPLY SOMETHING COLD – For short term relief you can apply a cold ice pack, bag of crushed ice or cold tea bag to the mosquito bite immediately. This will numb the skin and help reduce the inflammation.
- COVER UP – Prevention is the best way to avoid getting Mosquito bites. Mosquitos tend to appear in greater volumes at dawn and dusk. Wear light long sleeve and long pants when outdoors, especially in forested areas and apply natural insect repellant sprays.
Alyssa Rolnick is the Co-Founder of Zax’s Original Creams, Registered Dietitian and Mother of 3 active kids. Published July, 2019