Bedbug Bites: How to Identify Them
If you wake up in the morning and see bite marks all over your body, your first hunch would be that from a mosquito. But what if the marks still appear after applying a mosquito repellant and spraying anti-mosquito insecticide? For sure, those are not mosquito bites!
Try to see when the bites appear. Do they appear in the morning upon waking up? Or do the bites appear whenever you lie on a specific bed or furniture? If you answered yes to both questions, those could be bedbug bites.
Bedbugs bite people for food, which is blood. Any warm-blooded animal could also be their host. These insects were called bedbugs because these usually live in mattresses or furnitures. Just like mosquitoes, bedbugs bite at night. But these insects are not nocturnal.
A bedbug bite can either be flat or raised. It can be pinkish or red. What differentiates it from that of the mosquito bite is that it has a pattern. For example, you may see 3 or more bites in a row. This pattern may be caused by disruption while the bedbug is feeding. And it moves a bit farther before resuming feeding.
People have different reactions to bedbug bites. For instance, some people feel itchy while others do not. There have been rare reports of an allergic reaction from bedbug bites.
People should not worry about bedbug bites causing diseases. The bites cannot cause any disease. The only problem with bedbug bites is that the host can get so anxious and itchy. If this is the case, treatment for the bedbug bites is needed.
Two medicines have been effective in treating the itchiness from bedbug bites. These are antihistamines and systemic corticosteroids. On the other hand, if you want the bite marks to disappear as well, you must use topical corticosteroids.
When the bites are still on your skin, refrain from scratching them. Scratching can leave scars. It usually takes a few days for bedbug bites to disappear.
