When the bedbug bites, they inject an anesthetic so that victims cannot feel anything which is also an anticoagulant that keeps the blood flowing. Bedbugs are tiny insects with six legs that usually spend the day hiding and goes out to feed during night time. The bites of bedbugs cause rashes and severe itchiness that covers all the area that is affected.[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVqT9daRuc” width=”220″]
The severity of the symptoms due to bedbugs varies for each person. Some people do not know that they are already bitten, but others become allergic to the bite and experience a reaction.
Bedbug bites usually have similarity with other insect bites such as mosquito bites. The bites are raised, reddish bumps and can even blister. They also have a unique pattern in which some bites appear alone but in most cases, the bites happen in a row of 3-5 bites or as a cluster of red bumps. The bites can also manifest in a zigzag formation and appear in a straight line. Bedbug bites are usually seen in exposed areas of the body such as the neck, feet, face and the arms.
Treating bedbug bites
- Wash the affected skin using mild soap and water. Create a thick lather and rub it on the affected area generously until completely covered. Leave it on and do not rinse right away. Allow the lather to dry over the bitten area to lessen the itchiness and reduce the risk for infection.
- Make a paste by mixing baking soda and water. Slowly add drop by drop of water to the baking soda, mix well until it becomes a thick paste. Apply a thick coating on the bedbug bites. Let the paste dry on the skin for at least 1 hour or more and then rinse off using warm water. This procedure can help lessen the itchiness caused by bedbug bites.
- Soak a cotton ball in lemon juice or witch hazel. Remember that both are natural astringents. Dab the cotton ball into the rash to dry the area and minimize the itchiness.
- Extract a juice from a fresh aloe vera plant. Aloe vera has both antibiotic and antifungal properties that helps prevent secondary infections caused by scratching. Apply the gel over the affected area.
- Apply the prescribed steroidal anti-itch cream that has hydrocortisone or cortisone to lessen the inflammation and itchiness.
- Dab on the calamine lotion on the bite site to minimize the itchiness and promotes the drying of the rash as well as protection for the skin as it heals.
- Take the prescribed oral antihistamines to control the allergic reactions such as swelling and rashes due to the bites.
Seek medical help immediately if there are blisters, multiple bites, signs of infection such as tenderness or drainage of pus from the affected area or allergic reactions such as redness, swelling or hives.