[Isis]

So I know I posted a thread where I say how much I like bugs, but...

I got a bug bite (probably mosquito) and it's super bothering me. It's on my back, right between my shoulder blade and my bra strap so it is getting scratched a lot... what do I do about this?! It's driving me crazy!

Anyways... what do you do when you get a bug bite? Scratch it? Leave it alone?
I normally gently but firmly pat it, which makes the itch feel relived, but I can't reach the spot on my back...

[McSwiggins]

I scratch it until it bleeds and hurts. I dont do it on purpose. I cant help it not only because it itches but I tend to pick at my skin and its imperfections.

[Potironette]

Bugs (especially mosquitoes) don't bite me much. I don't think they like how I taste? I dunno, I just don't get bitten--or maybe I do but it doesn't itch?


Besides cream things I think it's best to just leave them alone, or at least try to--I just hope it goes away soon the rare times I get bitten.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

You're not supposed to scratch at bites because of health and bacteria and the like, breaks the skins, etc. There are topical remedies you can get, and some anecdotes. Personally, I would put a band-aid over it to stop your bra from rubbing at it. I do that myself also to keep me from scratching. If you still rub the bandage, as least you aren't getting your nails on the bite.

[Kaderin Triste]

Generally, I apply aloe to pretty much everything, but a cortazone(sp?) cream might help with the itching.
Bug bites don't generally itch for me, but when the occasional one does, I accidentally end up scratching it.
But I like Quiet's recommendation of putting a bandaid on it.

[Moonshadow]

I scratch my bites till they bleed.
There is something called After-Bite and it is a stick with a roll on and it does really help to calm it.

Someone suggested once I use Tea Tree essential oil and all it did was blister (a huge blister) and when it popped I had an open sore for days and days. So don't use Tea Tree essential oil on any bite!

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I had cortisone cream for a horse fly bite at one point when I was over in Ontario. Not itchy, but so nasty I couldn't physically lift my shoulder. The nurse found the chunk missing from my skin and guessed what it was since I had recently been swimming and they like to hang around lakes. I didn't even notice the actual bite, just that my shoulder muscle suddenly didn't want to work.

[uncledaddy]

put rubbing alcohol on it, leave it as uncovered as possible, and try to ignore it. if it's really itchy, scratch around it instead of scratching it directly. works for me, anyway.

[Coda]

That... sounds entirely counterproductive. The rubbing alcohol will disinfect it, which is good, but leaving sores uncovered is NEVER recommended.

[uncledaddy]

Originally Posted by Coda

That... sounds entirely counterproductive. The rubbing alcohol will disinfect it, which is good, but leaving sores uncovered is NEVER recommended.

sores? i thought we were talking about little itchy bumps, here. the alcohol helps with the itching so i don't scratch it open in the first place!
that's just the method i grew up with, though; maybe covering them is safer/more effective, for all i know.

[Quiet Man Cometh]

I think I've heard that but yeah, it's something maybe to use on a closed bite. Alcohol and open skin do not get along so well.

[Gallagher]

when i get a bug bite, i press a nail directly down on it (without breaking the skin) hard enough to leave a mark, usually holding for around 10 seconds or so, then turn my hand and do it again to leave an x on the bite

and like... that's it. i do this when i notice bites and they don't bother me anymore after that. it like, distributes the bug spit and stuff under the skin so it isn't all concentrated and itchy for as long.

[Fulkth]

I would totally itch it even though I'm not supposed too. I used to have anti-itch cream, but it expired so I threw it away.

[uncledaddy]

Originally Posted by Gallagher

when i get a bug bite, i press a nail directly down on it (without breaking the skin) hard enough to leave a mark, usually holding for around 10 seconds or so, then turn my hand and do it again to leave an x on the bite

and like... that's it. i do this when i notice bites and they don't bother me anymore after that. it like, distributes the bug spit and stuff under the skin so it isn't all concentrated and itchy for as long.

can confirm, this also works.

[Coda]

Sure, I don't have any complaint with the rubbing alcohol part of it. I did a bit of research just now and found that the principle there is that the evaporating alcohol draws some heat from the site, and cooling helps reduce the inflammation. (Ice would work too.) It also helps to avoid infection, which won't do a whole lot to relieve the itch but it'll help it to heal faster.

The bandage... I'm getting conflicting results. One site says that bandaging the bite could cause a staph infection, but the rest of them say that a bandage is good to protect the site from infections caused by absentmindedly scratching at it. I don't tend to trust a single scary claim; if this were serious medical advice I would have gotten more results. That said, you're right, unless you've already scratched it it ISN'T a sore, so a bandage isn't necessary.

I suspect the nail pressure thing is the pain and pressure overloading the nerves so they stop sending an itch signal.

[Den]

I tend to get really bad welts if I get bit by mosquitoes, due to allergic reaction. I have to take an antihistamine to take the swelling down, and I have a hard time not scratching. I tend to scratch and break the skin... and then I wash up with soap and water, and cover with a bandaid after an application of Neosporin. I'm not the best to take advice from, though. >.>;;