Insect bites: recognizing and treating them.

Mosquitoes, horseflies, wasps, red ants and ticks: between long evenings spent outdoors, lunches on the grass and walks in the forest, the summer season is particularly conducive to insect bites! While these little summer ailments are most often benign, they may nevertheless require consulting a health professional.

An insect bite usually appears as a small bump, blister and redness.

” Most insect bites will result in a red, itchy bump on the skin, which can become very large in some people.Dr. Nina Roos immediately clarifies. It can range from a small red button to a plaque a few centimeters in diameter. ” And to add: ” To the same sting, we do not react in the same way. Some skins are more reactive than others, without this being a sign of an allergy. »

Even the most trivial mosquito bite can result in a red lesion several centimeters long! ” Proportionally, the more painful the sting, the more intense the skin reaction will be.continues the specialist. The area of ​​the bite and the age of the person are also aggravating factors: for example, a simple mosquito bite on the eyelid can cause quite impressive swelling that can prevent the eye from opening. »

While most insect bites appear as bumps or red patches, their appearance can help you identify more precisely who is causing them.

Most of the time benign, the mosquito bite manifests itself by a small red button on the bitten area and itching. In order to avoid being bitten, do not hesitate to use a repellent in the areas most at risk.

Hymenoptera stings often cause significant pain with a burning sensation, swelling, redness and even slight hardening of the skin. ” If the sting of a hymenoptera – a wasp, a bee or a hornet – is accompanied in the minutes that follow by generalized hives, angioedema, breathing difficulties (asthma attack), a drop in blood pressure and a generalized feeling of malaise, it may be anaphylactic shock and you must call 15 without delay. ” insists the dermatologist.

Did you come back from a walk in the tall grass with a tick attached to your calf? Tick bites are painless. Most of the time there is no itching or redness, confirms Dr. Nina Roos. On the other hand, if a red inflammatory plaque appears several days later around the bite and spreads, it may be erythema migrans, a symptom of Lyme disease. It is then necessary to consult your doctor. »

Bed bug bites are most often characterized by aligned bites, grouped in a straight path. And it itches really bad! ” warns the dermatologist. Bedbugs are generally present in places where people sleep or rest: bed, sofa… ” To eliminate bedbugs, it is recommended to call a pest control professional. “, adds the specialist.

Flea bites are characterized by small red bumps, often grouped in clusters, accompanied by intense itching.

Even if the bites are not serious, they can be unpleasant, especially if there are a lot of them!

Less well known, the harvest mite is a mite whose larva attaches itself to a host (animal, human being, etc.) to feed. Its bite manifests itself by the appearance of a skin rash with small red patches 2 to 3 mm in diameter. Then, after a few hours, significant itching occurs which can persist for a week.

Let him who has never been reminded to order by an army of red ants while sitting on the grass cast the first stone! The sting causes pain as well as swelling and local redness. In some people, a red, itchy patch may also appear.

The bites of the horsefly – a type of large, flat, dark brown fly – are particularly painful and are accompanied by localized inflammation. with the appearance of a red plaque at the bite site. Although symptoms usually disappear after a few hours, it is advisable to consult a doctor if they persist for several days…

Unlike other insects, the spider does not sting… it bites! You can recognize its bite by the small dots left by its fangs. Often, spider bites are inflammatory with redness and swelling of the area. “, explains the specialist.

To calm the inflammation caused by the insect bite, after cleaning the wound with soap and water or with an antiseptic, Apply ice wrapped in a clean cloth. The cold will reduce pain and reduce swelling.

It is recommended to consult your GP or a dermatologist when the insect bite causes persistent and annoying itching or shows signs of infection. ” The most common case of consultation is the lack of knowledge of the insect bite: when a patient suffers from several profuse bites of unidentified cause or when these itch a lotconfirms Dr. Nina Roos. It is also advisable to see a healthcare professional in the event of superinfection, when the sting area becomes yellowish, when it oozes a yellowish or purulent liquid with a stabbing or pulsating pain or when a red plaque continues to spread after the initial sting. »

Treatment will depend on the insect bite and the symptoms. If it causes persistent itching without superinfection, a cortisone-based cream will be enough to calm the itching.explains the specialist. In the event of superficial superinfection, an antibiotic cream will be prescribed and if the infection is more diffuse or deep, an oral antibiotic. Finally, hymenoptera stings – particularly horseflies and hornets – are particularly painful, so the prescription of analgesics such as paracetamol and local cortisone may be necessary. »