Mosquitoes can quickly spoil a nice warm summer evening in the garden: A short bite and a reddened swelling forms, which is often still visible for days. Although a mosquito bite is harmless in itself, it is unpleasant because it often causes enormous itching. What you can do if you have been bitten by a mosquito and how an allergy to mosquito bites manifests itself, you can learn here.
Bites are annoying, but usually harmless
Mosquitoes are an unavoidable side effect on beautiful summer days. In fact, they are annoying, but in Germany mosquito bites are classified as harmless. Nevertheless, a mosquito bite can cause an allergic reaction and lead to severe redness and swelling.
Mosquito bite: what to do?
Here’s what to do about mosquito bites:
- Immediately after a mosquito bite, it should be disinfected directly. Thus, the risk of a possible inflammation can be significantly reduced.
- Very important is: do not scratch, even if the itching is enormous. By scratching from a mosquito bite bacteria could penetrate more easily into our bodies, so that infections may occur.
- For swelling helps: cool the affected skin area. A cooling gel against burns and insect bites soothes the itchy swelling. If this is not at hand, it also does a cold pack or a damp cloth, which is wrapped around the place.
Home remedies against mosquito bites
There are numerous household tips for treating mosquito bites: It is said to help to press a cross into the skin with a fingernail just above the bite. Others swear by a sliced onion, apple cider vinegar, spit, honey or a drop of hot wax applied to the swelling. However, such home remedies show, if at all, at most a short-term effect. In any case, it makes more sense to avoid mosquito bites by taking preventive measures such as insect repellent or long clothing.
Bite healers: Heat against mosquito bites?
Many people have positive experiences with so-called bite healers: these small electrical devices generate heat and are specifically pressed on the mosquito bite for a few seconds. This is supposed to kill certain proteins that have entered the bite through the mosquito saliva. The heating can help relieve the itching and swelling. Theoretically, a metal spoon heated in hot water also has a similar effect. However, the risk of burning is very high in this case, which is why this method is not recommended.
Mosquito bite: allergy caused by mosquito bites?
In some people, a mosquito bite has no health consequences at all, but more and more people complain that a mosquito bite leads to severe redness, swelling or wheals in them. However, swelling after a mosquito bite is not necessarily a clear sign of an allergic reaction (allergy). However, anyone who also suffers from circulatory problems, vomiting or diarrhea should have a possible allergy clarified by a doctor. The doctor can measure the antibodies present in the blood and thus determine whether there is a possible allergy. In this case, a doctor will use antihistamines or even cortisone for treatment, depending on the mosquito bite. If a mosquito bite causes shortness of breath, an emergency physician should be sought immediately. Likewise for mosquito bites that cause major swelling of the skin on the neck, mouth or eyes. 5 Facts About Mosquito Bites – CreativesolutionisT
Why does a mosquito bite in the first place?
Among mosquitoes, only females bite, whereas males feed on nectar. A female mosquito needs blood to support the development of her eggs. For this reason, they are also very greedy in sucking blood, it is a drive for life support, so to speak. Fatally, we often don’t even realize at first that we are being bitten by a mosquito. A mosquito does not have a stinger, but a proboscis with which it sucks up our blood. The proboscis has a fine surface with serrations. This allows the mosquito to open the skin through tiny cuts, so to speak. Immediately after scratching the skin, the mosquito injects its saliva into the skin opening. On the one hand, the saliva triggers a kind of anesthesia, so that we only notice the bite when the mosquito has already struck. On the other hand, the mosquito’s saliva serves as an aid to keep the blood fluid. Without saliva, the blood would clot and the mosquito would no longer be able to absorb it. Basically a clever move of nature.However, the composition of the saliva can be problematic. Because the proteins present can be the trigger for an allergy or for possible other reactions.
Swelling and redness due to defense system in the body.
The saliva of the mosquito can be composed of different proteins, which in turn are held responsible for possible reactions. First of all, our body namely reacts to the saliva by activating the body’s defense system, it releases histamine. For many people, a certain amount of histamine causes reactions: Swelling, redness, but also itching can become noticeable. Sometimes we hear that environmental pollution can be a reason for severe reactions in a mosquito bite. The mosquitoes could be contaminated with pollutants due to environmental pollution, which they may then pass on to us humans when sucking blood. However, this statement has not yet been scientifically proven.
Sweat and heat attract insects
So how is it that some are rarely bitten by a mosquito and others, on the other hand, are bitten very frequently? Even though the statement continues to persist that the sweetness of blood is responsible for how often someone gets mosquito bites, from a scientific point of view it is clear to say that this is an old wives’ tale. For mosquitoes, the smell of sweat as well as the body temperature are attractive. By the way, places on the body that are extremely well supplied with blood are particularly sought after. In addition, mosquitoes prefer to bite in areas on the body that are not covered or only slightly covered with hair.
