Bed bug bites can look frightening. Overnight, it can leave you with raised welts that look worse than they actually are. Sometimes you break out in itchy, angry rashes from head to toe that take days to heal.
Fortunately, the bites are not as menacing as they look. The rashes come from the chemical that the bed bugs release when they bite. You may not feel much beyond an annoying discomfort, quite like a mosquito bite. The chemical acts like anesthesia, so you may not feel much when they are partying on your blood but once the damage is done and you wake up the next morning, you may end up with a hundred bites all over you.
On the bright side, the chemical they release is not infectious, unlike mosquito bites, so you don’t risk falling sick but they can leave you feeling severely itchy. Those who are sensitive or prone to allergies can react more severely, breaking into a ghastly rash that may last a couple of weeks until they start clearing up. Try not to scratch or you may expose your skin to infection that can lead to scars.
Why do bed bug bites affect different people in different ways? How do you get rid of the scars? Here are some tips to bite into.
How to Treat Bed Bug Bites
- First, wash the bites with antibacterial soap and water.
- Apply ice until the redness decreases
- Use a topical antihistamine cream such as Benadryl to relieve itching.
- If the bite starts to feel painful and oozes a yellow, white or greenish discharge, see the doctor at once.
- If the areas start to swell up and get worse, or you get a fever, visit the doctor at once too. It may turn out to be something more severe because bug bites are not contagious or infectious.
What should be more of a concern is to hunt out where they came from and eliminate the source. Bed bugs can crop up in perfectly clean mattresses, not always soiled ones. Whether you are in your home or a hotel, all they need is a host to feast on.
Look for tiny red bugs on your mattress. They can be lurking on the sheets, the carpet, wallpaper, floorboards or tiny cracks on the walls too. If you go camping, check the sleeping bags and change them if necessary. If you are travelling, request a different room. If you or a family member have been bitten at home, call a professional pest control service at once.
At Contact Pest Control, we are licensed and insured professionals serving Toronto. Call us for an estimate to keep your home bug and pest-free.
Also Read: The Early Warning Signs of Bed Bugs to Look Out For