What to Do If You Get Bitten by Mites? Identify Bite Symptoms and Completely Eliminate Mites
In summer, the hot weather and high humidity make it easy for mites to breed. Mites are very likely to be present on the cool mats used every day. After being bitten, the skin breaks out in lumps that are painfully and unbearably itchy. Many people generally assume the bites are from mosquitoes, but mite bites take much longer to heal than ordinary insect bites. So what should you do if you get bitten by mites? What are the symptoms of the bites? How do you kill them?
Mites are tiny pests that are hard to see with the naked eye. There are also many kinds of mites; more than 500,000 species have been identified. They are generally divided into several major categories such as dust mites, flour mites, sugar mites, gamasid mites and chigger mites, among which dust mites are the most widely distributed and have the greatest impact. Although they are only about 30-300 microns, dust mites are a very strong allergen. The bodies, secretions and excrement of dust mites are all allergens. When they enter a person's respiratory tract or contact the skin, symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, itching of the nose, eyes and ears, coughing and wheezing all appear.
Distinguishing: is it a mite bite or a mosquito bite?
The characteristic of a mite bite is edematous wheal-like red papules with significant edema. The center of the bite often has a puncture mark from the insect bite, and they appear in patches. The more the rash is scratched, the more red and swollen it becomes. After being scratched open it forms a scab and leaves a pigmented spot, which only fades after about a week.
After a mosquito bite, the papule is red and swollen. Appropriate scratching of the rash can temporarily relieve the itching, and it will not leave spots or scars. It fades within several hours or 1-2 days.
What should be done after a baby is bitten by mites?
After being bitten by mites, do not scratch frequently, so as to avoid skin damage and infection. If you want to relieve itching and reduce swelling for the baby, you can apply a cold compress to reduce swelling. Put a wet towel in the freezer (or you can directly wrap a towel around ice cubes), then place it on the bitten area for continuous cold compresses (1 cold compress every 2-3 hours), which helps reduce swelling. Various anti-itch preparations can also be applied externally, such as calamine lotion, Xiehe anti-itch liquid, etc., but be cautious with hormone-containing ointments. For babies, such medications are not recommended for long-term use; generally 3 days is appropriate, and no more than a week at most.
Reminder: floral water will make it itchier the more you apply
Mite dermatitis is an inflammatory reaction, while liniments such as floral water mostly contain ingredients like menthol and camphor. Not only do they fail to improve the local inflammation of the baby's skin, they instead cause allergic reactions. Never apply medication on your own; it is best to treat it under a doctor's guidance.
How to avoid mite bites
To let the baby get through summer safely, parents should do preventive work before summer arrives, such as keeping the indoor and surrounding environment dry and well ventilated, often putting the baby's bedding out to dry under strong sunlight, and vacuuming frequently. During the mite “crime” season, every day roll up grass mats, pillow mats, sofa mats and other grass and bamboo products, stand them upright on the ground and beat them, which can remove many mites hidden in the gaps. If the weather is humid, even if the temperature is not high, an air conditioner can be used to dehumidify.
Bathe the baby frequently and change clothes and pants frequently. The baby's clothes and pants, especially underwear, should be placed under sunlight to dry after washing. If it is rainy or cloudy, the underwear should be soaked in boiling water before being dried.
Mites like moisture the most. Besides when drying the quilt, at other times try not to fold the quilt, yes, do not fold the quilt. Get up however you slept, and do not fold the quilt. This way the mites have no fresh air, moisture or anything, and they will be suffocated and starved to death.
Dry the quilt frequently, especially grass mats that easily breed mites, which should often be placed under sunlight to dry. After drying, be sure to beat the grass mat hard against the ground to reduce the mites hidden inside.
Camphor essence blocks can be placed under the mattress or grass mat to drive away mites. After summer, when storing the grass mat, camphor balls or camphor essence blocks can also be placed inside to inhibit the growth and reproduction of mites.
When summer arrives, it is best to put away carpets. If a family can only use carpets, they should regularly (at least once every year before summer begins) clean the carpet with a special carpet detergent. Vacuum the carpet every day, and spray insecticide on the carpet at intervals. After spraying, open the windows for ventilation, and people should not stay indoors. Only after there is no odor in the room and on the carpet should the baby be allowed to move around on the carpet.
What should adults do after being bitten by mites?
1. When bathing, do not use ordinary body wash. Wash with medicated soap or sulfur soap. It is recommended to bathe several more times a day in the hot summer. Do not let sweat make the situation worse. Try to stay indoors, do not expose yourself to the sun, and do not sweat.
2. Medication can be used; external use together with oral use has a relatively good effect. Oral loratadine, and external use of calamine lotion mixed with triamcinolone acetonide acetate spray, applied several more times a day. You can also take vitamins, preferably vitamin C and calcium gluconate orally. These can all be bought at pharmacies.
3. Spraying mineral water on the affected area can also sterilize and relieve itching. Prevent scratching with fingernails; scratching open the skin and the bacteria under the fingernails will cause infection, delay recovery, and also leave scars.
Tips: 5 ways to kill mites
1. Anti-mite strategy one: ventilate frequently
Mites like humid, high-temperature environments with cotton and linen fabrics and dust. At 20-25°C and a relative humidity of 65%-80%, it is extremely suitable for the development and reproduction of dust mites. Therefore, dryness and frequent ventilation are the best weapons to eliminate them. In order to thoroughly prevent and control mite damage in the home, be sure to open doors and windows frequently, and persist in ventilation and letting in light. Especially when using an air conditioner, pay even more attention to indoor ventilation and air exchange.
2. Anti-mite strategy two: frequently sun new clothing
Apart from being unable to go up into the sky, mites go everywhere, and especially like to make their homes on cotton and linen fabrics. Therefore, be sure to clean and dust clothing frequently. About every two weeks, wash bedding once with hot water at about 50°C. Also try to simplify the bedroom layout to make dust removal easier. It is best not to lay carpets indoors, and do not place tapestries or other things that easily accumulate dust in the home.
3. Anti-mite strategy three: wet “work” cleaning method
When tidying the room, mites hidden in beds and sofas and their excrement may fly into the air and then be inhaled into the bronchial tubes, easily triggering obvious allergic symptoms. When cleaning, be sure to use a wet cloth or a specially made anti-mite cloth, and develop the habit of wet “work”. Be sure to avoid raising dust, and reduce the chance of mites spreading through the air.
4. Anti-mite strategy four: do not store too much food
Mites are also very fond of food: foods such as biscuits and milk powder are the territory where flour mites breed rampantly; and foods with high sugar content such as white sugar, slab sugar, maltose and syrup are the favorites of sugar mites. If they are accidentally allowed to enter the body, they will all become hidden dangers for people getting sick. Therefore, the food stored at home should not be too much, and the time should not be too long. After taking medicines such as granulated sugar, sugar syrup and syrup that contain syrup ingredients, screw the bottle cap tightly.
5. Anti-mite strategy five: stay away from pets and flower fertilizer
Growing some flowers and plants at home is a good way of life, but it is best not to use fertilizer for growing flowers, because fertilizer contains many mites and fungi. You can also apply flower fertilizer at the roots of the flowers and plants; this not only gives the flowers and plants more nutrients, but also reduces the growth rate of mites. In addition, pets can sometimes also become a living environment for mites. If there are pets at home, be sure to remember to bathe and disinfect the pets frequently.