Many people start to itch immediately when they hear stories about bed bug infestations in other’s homes but the worrying fact is that a huge number of people have bed bugs in their homes and do not even realize it. These bugs are becoming increasingly common and once they decide that your mattress is the place they want to hang out it can be very difficult to get rid of them.
Those who are unfortunate enough to have bed bugs will often suffer the misery of bed bug bites, and this means finding treatment to relieve the discomfort and promote healing. There are a number of steps to take in order to treat the bites of these cumbersome pests, and the measures you should take include:
Confirm the bites are from bed bugs: The first thing you need to do is confirm that the bites are actually from bed bugs and not from some other insect. The bites of bed bugs are very similar to those of many other insects, so it can be difficult to determine this. However, often bed bugs have a unique bite pattern with bites sometimes occurring in rows of 3 or 5.
Invest in over the counter steroid cream: You can purchase creams over the counter that contain steroids such as hydrocortisone. Using this can help to relieve the symptoms and the itching, and will help to kick start the healing process.
Buy some calamine lotion: Calamine lotion is often used to relieve itching and inflammation in the event of a rash or for conditions such as chicken pox. You can help to soothe the skin while it goes through the healing process by applying this lotion to the affected areas.
Consider a topical anaesthetic gel: Another thing you can do to help bring rapid relief is to invest in a topical anaesthetic gel. This can help to relieve the itching that can accompany these bites while also providing pain relief for any discomfort you may be experiencing.
Of course, in addition to treating the bites themselves you also need to ensure you take action to eradicate the bed bugs otherwise you will simply end up back at square one even after your treatment. You should therefore make sure you take appropriate action or call on the experts in order to get rid of the bed bug infestation in your home to avoid future attacks.