Will I be allergic to mosquito bites?

Everyone's physical condition and skin sensitivity are different from others. Some people may just get a small bump from mosquito bites, feel a little itchy, and recover after a few days. However, some people will get red and swollen after being bitten by mosquitoes, and feel very painful when touched. This may be because the skin reacts to the mosquito venom after the bite. So, can mosquito bites cause allergies?

Mosquitoes pierce the skin with their mouthparts, and their saliva or venom invades the skin. Because the saliva or exudate of the venom glands of mosquitoes contain a variety of antigen components, these antigens can produce allergic reactions with antibodies after entering human skin, thereby causing an inflammatory reaction. The main symptoms are the appearance of bright red wheal-like lesions on the skin that are slightly spindle-shaped and range in size from mung beans to peanuts. There are often small blisters on the top, which are scattered or grouped together. The symptoms are red, swollen, itchy and painful, and may be accompanied by skin infections. In severe cases, it may even cause diseases such as Japanese encephalitis.

After being bitten by an insect, most people experience a temporary reaction at the bite site, such as mild redness, swelling, and pain. In this case, if the skin is not infected, just rinse it with soap and water and apply ice compresses. It will usually get better after 30 to 60 minutes. If small blisters appear locally, the swelling and pain may last for about 4 hours. Be careful not to break the blisters to avoid secondary infection.

◆Measures to prevent mosquito bites

1. From the perspective of prevention, whether at home, in the workplace or in a public environment, attention should be paid to maintaining indoor and outdoor hygiene, removing stagnant water, and not creating a "housing" for mosquito larvae to breed. If fleas or mites are found, they should be killed immediately.

2. Take a bath frequently in the hot summer to keep your skin clean. Wipe off sweat in time when you sweat, which can also prevent mosquito bites.

3. It is best to wear long-sleeved clothes and socks when going out, and do not stay under trees with insects. Once your skin is touched by caterpillars or rove beetles, be careful not to slap them. Instead, shake them off gently. If the pain and itching are severe, go to a specialist hospital for treatment in time.

4. It is best to install screen windows and doors indoors, and put up mosquito nets when sleeping. Mosquito nets are an effective and conservative way to prevent mosquitoes for babies. However, when using mosquito nets, parents should not forget to help their babies drive away mosquitoes every day, and also pay attention to the air circulation in the mosquito nets.

5. If you are pregnant and worried that mosquito coils are toxic, you can light dry orange peels instead. This method not only kills mosquitoes, but also removes odors from the room, killing two birds with one stone.

6. You can place a few opened boxes of cooling oil and wind oil in the room, or place one or two pots of blooming night-blooming jasmine, jasmine, Milan, mint or rose, etc. Mosquitoes will avoid them because they can't stand their smell.

◆Tips for quickly relieving itching from mosquito bites in summer

1. Apply soap to relieve itching. When mosquitoes bite, they secrete an organic acid - formic acid, which can cause muscle soreness and itching. Soap contains sodium salts of higher fatty acids. The sodium salts of these fatty acids become alkaline after hydrolysis and can quickly eliminate pain and itching.

2. Apply a small amount of edible alkaline flour water to relieve itching quickly.

3. Use laundry detergent to relieve itching. Rinse the bitten area with clean water, do not wipe it dry, then use a wet finger to dip a little detergent and apply it to the bitten area. It can immediately stop itching and the redness and swelling will disappear quickly. After the redness and swelling disappear, you can rinse off the detergent with clean water.

4. Take a small amount of fresh purslane stems and leaves, rub them in your hands to produce water, and apply them to the affected area. It has the effect of relieving itching and reducing swelling.

5. Use sliced ​​garlic to rub the mosquito bite repeatedly for one minute. It has obvious analgesic, anti-itching and anti-inflammatory effects. Even if the bite has become a large lump or inflamed and ulcerated, you can rub it with garlic. Generally, it can reduce inflammation and swelling after 12 hours, and the ulcerated wound can heal after 24 hours. People with skin allergies should use it with caution.

Warm reminder: Do not scratch after being bitten. If we are bitten by a mosquito, we will catch it immediately. However, after scratching, the tissue fluid, lymph fluid, etc. in the skin will seep out and swell into a bag. The more you scratch, the more it will itch, and it will not be easy to subside. This is how the "red bean legs" covered with red bags are caused by scratching. If you persist in not scratching, the itching will generally subside significantly after 10 to 15 minutes.