Introduction
Probably everyone has experienced a mosquito bite on their own body: The itching and redness usually last for a few days after the actual bite before they subside. Mosquito bites can also occur on the face, in the area from the chin upwards to the hairline. Depending on where exactly the mosquito bite is located on the face, it can then appear more painful or larger than a mosquito bite elsewhere on the body. Nevertheless, it is not much different from mosquito bites that are not on the face. Therefore the treatment of the bite to relieve itching and swelling is not much different from the treatment of bites on the rest of the body.
Associated symptoms
A mosquito bite – like most insect bites – penetrates the skin at one point and causes a so-called micro-injury. When the mosquito sucks out the blood, certain proteins and peptides, i.e. protein molecules, are then added to the bite site. These serve to inhibit the coagulation of the blood, but later cause the typical symptoms such as swelling, redness and itching to appear.
This is caused by the inflammation-promoting molecules that are released in the body as a reaction to these proteins. This topic might also be of interest to you:
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A swelling of the connective tissue is typical for allergic or even inflammatory reactions. In both of these reactions, the blood vessel walls become more permeable so that the cells of the immune system can reach the site of potential infection and fend off potentially dangerous invading pathogens or substances.
Smaller molecules, such as the liquid components of the blood, also naturally pass through these permeable vessel walls. As a result, the tissue swells up due to the fluid retention, and wheals can form on the skin. Itching (medical term: pruritus) is a typical symptom of an allergic reaction, but can also occur in many other complaints and diseases.
How exactly itching develops is not completely understood. A common theory is that itching is mediated by certain types of pain receptors, but their stimuli are not perceived as pain. It is also assumed that these nerve endings must first be activated by certain substances.
It is known, however, that these nerve endings can be modulated by other stimuli such as heat or cold, thus alleviating the itching. Therefore, thermal (i.e. temperature-related) therapeutics such as cold and heat cushions or capsaicin ointment are a possibility for the acute treatment of itching. If the facial skin at the site of the prick is too severely injured by scratching due to the itching that has developed, this represents an entry point for pathogens.
Depending on the depth of the scratching injury, the risk of a resulting infection can be serious. As a preventative measure, it is therefore important to ensure that the itching remains controllable and that the possibly already injured skin is kept as clean as possible. Make-up or creams should be kept away from the scratched areas.
In addition, infections with pathogens transmitted by the insect can occur. Such diseases include malaria, dengue and yellow fever. All of these infectious diseases are not native to Europe and should be prevented by appropriate prophylaxis before travelling abroad to corresponding areas.
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