How to Treat Mosquito Bites
Before revealing the
many different ways to treat mosquito bites, know that there
are a few approaches to preventing mosquito bites altogether.
 Using
mosquito repellent and wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt
when outdoors can decrease the chances of being bitten. You
can also avoid mosquito bites by staying indoors during the
hours of dusk and dawn, a time when mosquitoes are most active.
However, no matter how hard you may try to prevent mosquitoes
from reaching your body, some will still manage to get through
to you, leaving an itchy red bump on your skin. How to treat
mosquito bites is a constant endeavour.
Simple Initial Treatment
The first thing to do, after being bitten by a mosquito,
is to immediately wash the area with soap and water to get
rid of any potential bacteria left on the skin, and to reduce
the urge to scratch. Then, wrap a cold compress in a towel
and place it on the mosquito bite; that will help relieve
the itch.
Commercial Products
People hate mosquito bites to such an extent that
numerous products have been put on the market to combat the
discomfort produced by insect stings:
- Anti-itch medication: Calamine lotion
is one of the most popular products sold for mosquito bites.
Creams such as cortisone are also effective. However, these
types of medications are somewhat slow at eliminating the
itch.
- Topical anesthetics: For fast relief
from more serious bites, anesthetics such as Caladryl and
PrameGel, which include the ingredient pramoxine, will soothe
the area and alleviate the pain.
Household Items
If you choose not to use a commercial medication on your mosquito
bite or if none is at hand, other simple options can be considered.
Many effective remedies have been created from household
items to treat mosquito bites.
To relieve the itch and soothe the skin irritation, a paste
that consists of baking soda and water has been proven to
be quite effective at stopping the need to scratch. Other
common household liquids such as vinegar, mouthwash and lemon
juice, and items such as scotch tape and ivory soap have boasted
many success stories.
What works best for you is the most important factor when
you are facing the challenge of how to treat mosquito bites.
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