There are thousands of insects hovering around in the environment, bugs are one of them. Bugs are found everywhere, in your house, in crevices of park benches, in dark places, in old furniture, in crevices of bed etc. Bug bite swelling is not a serious health problem in most cases, but it is definitely a nuisance as it often disturbs your sleep at night and your work during daytime.
Bugs are invertebrates having segmented body and appendages. Pain, itching and swelling and rash at the site, is common feature of bug bite.
Bug Bites That Cause Swelling And Itching
- Bed bug bite: they are reddish brown in color. They are found in the crevices of bed, in furniture, and dark corners. Bed bugs feed on human blood. They usually emerge from their hiding place at night to feed on human blood. After a bug bite, there is marked itching, swelling and weals, rash and blister formation at the site.
- Chigger bites: chigger flea is mostly found in tropical countries.Chigger bite causes red rashes on the skin with intense itching and pain at the site of its bite. Swelling is often noticed in individuals who are hypersensitive to the chigger bug venom.
- Tick bite: this parasites feed on living animals and humans. Tick bite causes redness, pain, swelling and itching at the local site. The bite can cause red spots all over the body. It is important to eradicate the tick as soon as possible as they can transmit many diseases.
Swelling due to bug bites can become an emergency situation when a person is allergic to bug sting and its venom. This is common with bees and wasps. The condition is characterized by swelling of lips, eyes, and other part of body.
In more serious cases there is swelling in the throat which makes breathing difficult. Medically the condition is called anaphylaxis. Immediate treatment is necessary as the condition can become fatal.
Treatment For Bug Bite Swelling
Initial treatment for swelling, redness and itching due to bug bites
- Clean the area with soap and water to get rid of any leftover contamination on the skin.
- If the bug bite causes mild symptoms of redness, itching, pain and swelling locally, you can apply ice to relive the symptoms.
- If the symptoms indicate swelling over face and lips with breathing difficulty after the bug bite, do not waste time and call emergency medical help. They are symptoms of anaphylaxis reaction.
- If the person has localized swelling or a weal after a bug bite you can apply a soothing cream or medication.
- You can also apply peppermint oil on the area of swelling as an anti inflammatory home remedy.
- Applying wet mud also reduces bug bite swelling locally.