Those itchy, red welts are NOT about to ruin another summer.
By Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping
If an innocent outdoor BBQ
usually leaves you covered in nasty red mosquito welts — yet your
husband is always left unscathed — you can blame another common seasonal
annoyance: allergies. Turns out, those itchy red bumps on your skin are
actually an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva, according to Dr. Rajani Katta, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist based in Bellaire, Texas.
"The reaction is caused by salivary proteins introduced when adult female mosquitoes penetrate the skin," she says.
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just like some people are crazy-allergic to nuts and while others like
to down a jar of peanut butter for a midnight snack, some people will
have a more severe reaction to mosquito bites than others.
The
good news: Finding itch relief is easier if you stick to the right
methods — and avoid the common home remedies that make bumps worse.
Popular "cures" like witch hazel, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar
actually do more harm than good.
"All three of those can irritate the skin, so they might increase inflammation and redness," explains Katta.
The
number one weapon at your disposal can likely be found in your medicine
cabinet: "I usually go straight to 1% hydrocortisone cream used twice a
day," Katta says. "That has the benefit of calming both the
inflammation — helping reduce the redness and the swelling — and the
itching."
The topical steroid works
in most cases, but Katta advises against using it on your face for more
than a month. "Steroids cause thinning of the skin," she explains, "so
it makes you more susceptible to cuts and bruises, especially in fragile
areas like your eyelids."
Whatever
you do, resist the urge to scratch. Any open sores put you at a higher
risk of infection, and could lead to long-lasting hyperpigmentation or
worse, scarring.
Try
tapping the irksome bumps instead. "There's a particular nerve fiber
that carries the message of itching to the brain, but you can distract
it tapping or applying pressure," Katta says.
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As for your next outdoor excursion, beat bugs before they bite by stocking up on insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and pants. Before you head outdoors, apply the Good Housekeeping Institute's
pick: Controlled-Release Insect Repellent Lotion, which protects
against mosquitoes for up to 11 hours. Allethrin lamps and geraniol
candles can also help de-bug the backyard.
