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 mosquito bites: how to treat and prevent?

Mosquitoes are found almost everywhere in the world. A bit more in one place than in the other and in various shapes and types. Some species are completely harmless and do not sting, others can be life-threatening because they transmit diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. This makes them the deadliest animals in the world. With their soft buzzing alone, these little insects manage to keep us from sleeping. That's because their stings, the mosquito bites, itch and form bumps on the skin.

Some scent profiles attract mosquitoes

Not everyone is equally affected by mosquito bites. The person sleeping next to you may wake up full of mosquito bites while you don't see a bump. Around 1 in 5 people are more attractive to mosquitoes than the rest of the population. And unfortunately, there is not much to do about that.

Mosquitoes love a specific scent profile. Every person has their own odour profile that is formed by the natural composition of bacteria. This composition can attract or repel mosquitoes. This determines whether you have a lot of mosquito bites or not. Pregnant women are also more likely to be victims. This is because they also spread a scent that mosquitoes find attractive. Because their body temperature is higher, they attract the attention of these insects even more.

Mosquitoes love warmth, exercise and black clothing

At times, it's up to you whether you're an attractive prey or not. Perhaps you've already noticed that when you go jogging in the woods, it's easier for the bugs to come after you than to walk quietly in the same place. Mosquitoes love warmth and exercise. If you walk by jogging and sweating, you will quickly attract attention. This is also the case when you toss at night. Many think they hear the mosquito buzzing because they are still awake, but because of your turmoil, you have caught the mosquito's attention and it is coming to you.

Good to know is that mosquitoes are attracted to black clothing. If you are moving to an area where there are many mosquitoes, it is recommended to wear white or light colors instead of dark clothing.

Prevent mosquito bites

In addition to covering your body with light clothing, there are other remedies to keep mosquitoes at bay.

• DEET or another mosquito repellent: The DEET component is most effective. Mosquitoes get rid of themselves as quickly as possible when they smell this. DEET is found in almost all anti-mosquito ointments but is also controversial. It is a chemical that would be harmful to humans and nature. That is also true. However, as long as you follow the instructions on the packaging, it is not harmful to health. Specifically, this means that some DEET that you buy to travel to a tropical destination where there are many mosquitoes should not be used by children under 13 because the concentration is too high (often 40%). It is also better for the environment to take a shower before you go into the pool, a lake or the sea. Finally, pre-purchase your products from the pharmacy. In some countries, mosquito repellent contains up to 50% DEET concentration, which is harmful to health. Plus, it doesn't work better.
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• The mosquito devices that you plug into the socket scare away or kill mosquitoes, but are also suitable when used for a long time prejudicial for health.
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• Eating at the waterfront restaurant in the evening sounds tempting, but know that stagnant water the popular place is for mosquitoes to lay their eggs there. Use a mosquito repellent before you go to a restaurant and you have a pond in the garden, make sure the water flows, for example by placing a fountain in it.
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• Mosquitoes don't like the wind. One ventilator will therefore drive them away.
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• Van smells like citronella, basil, lemon gas and incense, they are said to confuse mosquitoes and thus prevent them from finding you.
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• Mosquito nets or a mosquito net keep the mosquitoes out. Close your windows when it starts to get dark.

How to treat a mosquito bite?

A mosquito bite is there faster than you think. After all, you can't walk around with mosquito repellent all day long. Before you know it, you're stung. To reduce swelling and itching, there are many remedies that do not always require you to go to the pharmacy:

• Cooling the skin helps reduce swelling and makes itching disappear. You can simply cool the skin by keeping ice cubes or a wet cold cloth on the bite.
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• Is there one aloe vera plant nearby, break off a piece of a leaf and spread the gel on the bite. By the way, aloe vera also helps against sunburn.
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• Others home remedies are toothpaste, vinegar, or Vicks.

Ointments against insect bites:

Nevertheless, it's not bad to get an ointment against insect bites at home and take it with you on a trip. Such an ointment is part of your basic pharmacy. Applying cortisone cream to the bite twice a day reduces itching and prevents you from sometimes unconsciously scratching the bite open. After all, scratching a mosquito bite is really bad. As a result, you can get an infection and, especially in tropical countries, this infection can be serious. Always keep the cortisone cream in the fridge.

If you have a very annoying bite, you can take an antihistamine or an anti-allergy pill. You do that before going to bed because these pills make you a little sleepy. Sometimes antihistamine-based ointments are also sold, but this is not recommended. In combination with the sun, they can cause a hypersensitivity reaction.

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