If that’s not sufficient, attempt precise ice. The Mayo Clinic recommends straight-up rubbing an ice dice over the chunk for 30 seconds to appease the realm. It’s going to solely really feel higher quickly, however some quick reduction (if short-lived) continues to be good when all you possibly can take into consideration is scratching the hell out of your pores and skin.

3. Slather on an anti-itch cream.

There ought to be loads of over-the-counter itch-relief cream choices at your native drugstore. You possibly can attempt an antihistamine cream that accommodates diphenhydramine (like Benadryl), which tackles that itchy feeling head-on, or you possibly can attain for a topical hydrocortisone cream (like Cortisone-10), which helps to cut back irritation and irritation, Dr. Wassef says.

Calamine lotion, which is made from zinc and iron oxide, could soothe your pores and skin, too, because of the anti-inflammatory properties of zinc oxide.³ Pramoxine hydrochloride and cooling menthol are two different elements you’ll find in OTC merchandise (like this Cerave Itch Reduction Moisturizing Cream) that may decrease that must-scratch feeling.

4. Make a DIY paste to calm the pores and skin.

Can’t trek to the shop? The Mayo Clinic suggests this mosquito chunk house treatment: a do-it-yourself paste made from baking soda. Baking soda has anti-inflammatory properties, Dr. Rodney factors out. Simply add a couple of drops of water to some baking soda till you get a creamy consistency. Then, dab it on the chunk and depart it there. You possibly can reapply the paste thrice a day till you’re feeling higher.

5. Take an oral antihistamine.

If topical drugs aren’t doing it for you, popping an oral antihistamine might help combat the discharge of histamine that occurs as your physique responds to the mosquito’s saliva, Dr. Wassef says. Search for daytime choices to keep away from drowsiness, like loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), or levocetirizine (Xyzal).⁴

Take the remedy on an as-needed foundation, per the instructions on the label, Dr. Wassef says. “As soon as the itching resolves, you possibly can cease utilizing it,” she says.

Are there some other mosquito chunk house treatments price making an attempt…or are all of them BS?

Fashionable bug chunk house treatments are usually not as magical as you might have been led to consider (sorry!). Right here’s what it’s essential to know:

Squeezing the chunk

Technically it’s not scratching, however making an attempt to squeeze the itch out of a mosquito chunk additionally isn’t an awesome thought, because it “could cause additional irritation and the discharge of extra histamines, making the itchiness worse,” Dr. Rodney says. “It’s best to keep away from squeezing or scratching mosquito bites.” Squeezing the realm of the chunk isn’t going to take away the mosquito saliva out of your pores and skin, regardless of what you might have learn on-line, Dr. Wassef says.

Making use of toothpaste

This house treatment comes up lots, however Dr. Rodney says it’s an “ineffective” hack. “Some toothpastes could present a cooling sensation, nevertheless it doesn’t comprise any lively elements that may scale back itchiness, irritation, or histamine launch,” she says. That means, chances are you’ll really feel higher briefly, however toothpaste received’t have an enduring impact in your mosquito bites. “There’s additionally an opportunity of inflicting an undesirable response as a consequence of doable allergens within the toothpaste itself,” Dr. Rodney says.

Dabbing on vinegar

Vinegar—particularly apple cider vinegar—is often touted for taking the itch out of bug bites, however the docs we spoke with say it might trigger extra bother than it’s price. “Vinegar is kind of acidic and might trigger irritation to the pores and skin,” Dr. Wassef says, including that it may well additionally trigger “pores and skin breaks” (a.ok.a. microscopic injury), which might open you as much as a possible an infection. Whereas it might provide you with a cooling sensation, vinegar doesn’t comprise any lively elements that may scale back irritation or the discharge of histamine, Dr. Rodney says, so it’s not a legit mosquito chunk remedy.

When to see a physician for a mosquito chunk

As you’ve in all probability skilled because you had been a child, your mosquito chunk will doubtless heal by itself over the course of some days—however generally these spots can get contaminated or trigger a major response that requires greater than house remedy.