Dealing with insects, mosquitoes and their bites
Dealing with insects and their bites
If you spend a lot of time outdoors then insect bites are inevitable. You could be bitten by mosquitoes, ticks, ants, and even spiders. Most insect bites are not poisonous or harmful, but they can still leave red sores on your skin. These sores will often cause inflammation, which creates redness and swollen skin. The best way to deal with insects is to take preventative action against insect bites. That way you won’t have to deal with it in the first place. So if you plan to go outside or in an area where there might be a lot of bugs, put some insect repellant lotion on your skin and clothes. You can purchase a bottle of Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellent on Amazon for less than $10. It will keep away annoying mosquitoes and other nasty bugs.
For those of you who have been bitten by insects, the first thing to remember is not to panic. Unless you were bitten by a black widow spider or some other kind of poisonous insect, you have nothing to worry about. Just apply an ice pack to the bite and leave it there for at least 15 minutes. Do this once per hour for up to six hours. Make sure you put a cloth between the ice pack and your skin. Next, try some nonprescription medicine to treat the bite area. This will help reduce the symptoms of redness, swelling and itching that you may be experiencing from the bite. Some great over-the-counter medication includes antihistamine, anesthetic spray and hydrocortisone cream. An antihistamine, like Benadryl, can give you some relief from the swelling, redness and itching. If you use an anesthetic that contains benzocaine, spray it on the bite mark to reduce any painful symptoms. As for the hydrocortisone, apply the cream to the bite mark of the skin to relieve the redness and itching. Apply these medicines once per day for the next couple of days. You should notice the redness, swelling and itching gradually clearing up. If they are not clearing up or if your skin looks worse, go to the doctor or dermatologist and have them examine the bite mark right away.
Never ever pick at a bite mark with your fingers or try to puncture the swollen area to release pus. Bites are not the same as pimples or acne, even though it is not recommended to pick those either. Bites are worse because they contain toxins that can increase your risk of infection if they are tampered with and then exposed to air.