Chiggers are so small that you need to have a magnifying glass to see them. Scientists call chiggers as Trombiculid mites. You must be aware of some best home remedies for chigger bites, or better yet, avoid insect bites in the first place with helpful tips.
Chiggers are a family of mites; they are also known as berry bugs. They are usually found in forests, and the area with an abundance of grass, so parks, lawn, golf courses, etc. The chiggers are at their max during the early summers. When chiggers are in their larval stage, they attach to the skin of animals and humans and then start feeding on them.
Don’t get surprised when you develop itchy rashes while running in the park or playing because 90% of the time, the rashes are caused by these chiggers.
As stated above, the adult chiggers will not bite you, but the baby ones will do. The chiggers are present almost everywhere, and their color range varies from straw color to red, to orange and yellow. Chiggers are usually found in large groups on the grass or leaves.
If you are someone who is staying in Southeast Asia, including India, the northern part of Australia, and some parts of the pacific islands, then one thing you need to keep in mind is that chiggers can easily transmit scrub typhus. This disease usually happens during the rainy season in those areas where vegetation and grass are abundant.
What do Chigger Bites look like?
The chiggers once they come and latch on to your clothes, they will start to crawl inside and look for a patch on skin, now these tiny pests will begin using their claws, which are in the shape of the jaw and start making tiny holes.
Once these holes are made, they will begin to inject saliva into your skin, and this saliva has digestive juices that will turn your cells into a mush. Once they are turned into a mash, they will start eating the dissolved cells.
These suspended cells provide the much-needed protein to these larvae so that they can turn into an adult. After fearing on your body for a couple of days, these chiggers will fall off and leave red bumps.
The chigger bites are red and itchy, and they look like small blister or pimples. The chiggers bites are usually found around skin folds, ankles, or waist. Over time these blisters turn bigger as well as itchier. These bites typically appear in groups. The chigger bites will start to itch after an hour or so after the chigger has attached to the skin. The itching will stop after a few days, but the red bumps will stay for 1 to 2 weeks.
How to Treat Chigger Bites?
As far as diagnosing and treating is concerned, the doctor can immediately diagnose the bite by asking the patient about their outdoor activities. You cannot treat the chigger bites directly, but you definitely can control the itching and helping the bites heal on their own.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that unlike mosquitoes and ticks, the chiggers aren’t carriers of any disease, which means they are not harmful. They cause itching and annoyance. The chigger bites can be treated by following the steps.
• Keeping a washcloth which is cold over the bite so that it can soothe it
• Scrubbing the bites with soap and water, this way the leftover chiggers on the skin can be removed
• Any anti-itching cream and a calamine solution should be applied.
• Taking anti-allergic orally can soothe the itching, especially if you have trouble while sleeping or carrying out your regular routine.
• Refrain from scratching the bites because it can further lead to other infections.
Home remedies for Chigger Bites
Once you are done with identifying chigger bites, here are specific home remedies for chigger bites that you can follow to get rid of them. keep in mind that the bite will stay for about 1 to 2 weeks, these home remedies for chigger bites and solutions will fasten the healing process and provide a soothing effect to your skin.
1. Lemon juice:- since it has antibacterial properties, it will soothe the skin a lot faster
2. The concoction of lemon juice and coconut oil:- the melon will kill the infection, and the coconut oil will start soothing your skin
3. Basil:- Basil has three major antimicrobial elements known as eugenol, thymol, and camphor, which will help in managing the bites. You can make basil tea, and dip cotton boils in it and then start to apply it on the infected area, or you can make basil leave paste and rub it all over the bite.
4. Cold Showers:- Cold showers provide instant relief to the infected area, you can also soak the infected area in the cold water.
5. Providing cold compression or rubbing ice:- Cold compression or ice will help in relieving the itchy area since cold packs nub the area you will get relief for a lot of time,
6. Oatmeal:- Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant properties; in this case, the anti-inflammatory part will help you a lot. You can either gently rub oatmeal over your skin or dumb around 2-3 cups in your bath.
7. Aloe vera:-One-stop solution to all problems, it will reduce the inflammation and provide a cooling sensation.
8. Baking Soda:- baking Soda has a property of neutralizing the acid. It also has inflammatory properties. You can either add it to your bath or make a paste with 3 part soda, and one parts water and apply it on your skin.
9. Neem:- Neem is being used traditionally for years since it purifies and cleanses the skin. Mix neem powder in water, make a paste and apply it on your skin.
10. Honey and cinnamon:- Honey has humectants that prevent any skin infection. Once combines with cinnamon, it becomes a power-packed solution for treating itching, etc. make a paste and apply it to the infected area.
Above are some of the best home remedies for chigger bites, and there are over the counter products like Calamine, Cortisone, Benadryl cream, or any other anti-itch cream which will help you with the itching and soothing of the skin. You can also use a homemade sanitizers for the initial aid.
Conclusion
The only thing that can keep you away from these bites is taking ample precautions, but even after this, you end up getting bitten, follow the home remedies for chigger bites as mentioned above, and your swelling and itching will be gone within in no time. They will also help you in healing faster.
