How to Treat Bed Bug Rash
Identifying bed bug rash. Find out how to recognize
bed bug bite rash and what remedies can help stop the itch and
clear the rash.
A person that is bitten by bed bugs may develop symptoms
such as bed bug rashes that can be extremely itchy however the
rash itself is not detrimental to anyone's health.
While the reddness and swells does not clear easily, the
discomfort and itchiness can be easily treated with remedies
that include medications as well as natural remedies.
What Are the First
Signs and Symptoms of a Bed Bug Bite Rash?
It is very common for a bed bug rash to be mistaken for
common household insects bites rash since a bed bug rash can
look almost identical to those caused by other parasitic blood
feeding insects such as mosquitoes, fleas, ants and lice.
In fact, most people do not know that they are bitten by bed
bugs and may assume the rash as skin allergy without further
notice. However a bed bug bite rash can be easily recognizable
once you know what are the symptoms to look for.
The first tell tale signs of a bed bug bite rash are
multiple small or raised bumps on the skin that will always
appear in a clustered pattern or in a row because of the
tendency of the bed bugs to feed on the same location more than
once.
The next tell tale sign to look for will be that you will
get bitten every night while you are sleeping and develop large
amount of these rashes every day, especially on the back, legs
and arms which are common sites for bed bug bites.
Either way, for many people, these red bumps will often
manifest hours or days after the actual biting takes place soon
begin to itch and if scratched, the bite area can become
severly infected and inflammed.
How Long Does the Bite
Rash Last?
How long a bed bad rash last is really dependent on the
individuals being bitten. Some people will not have any
reaction at all while for others who are sensitive to
allergies, they may develop bed bugs rash that can be extremely
itchy as they get bitten repeatedly.

Image credit:
unforth
Typically bed bug rashes will show up a few hours after the
actual biting but there are some cases whereby the rash does
not appear until a few days or even a week later since this is
dependent on the allergy reaction to the person that is being
bitten.
Generally, a bed bug bite rash will last for two or three
days and then slowly fade away. However the rashes can last
much longer if the person is more allergic prone. Often it will
require some medical intervention to finally clear up the skin
rash completely.
How to Stop the
Itch?
Typically, steroid creams or oral antihistamines may be used
to treat the bed bug rash to help alleviate the itchy
feeling.
Topical steroid creams such as hydro-cortisone (Cortaid Intensive Therapy
Moisturizing Cream , for example) can be very effective in helping
to stop the itch resolve the rash quickly.
Other oral steroids like Prednisone can also be use to treat
the itch of a beg bug rash. Oral antihistamines like Benadryl
can be effective but may cause drowsiness so they should be
used at night. Other oral antihistamines that can be used
during the day are Zyrtec and Claritin.
There are also other topical lotions and creams that can be
applied to the rash to stop the itch. The best ones contain a
mix of diphendrydramine to stop the itch and pramoxine to help
with the pain. Similarly, creams and lotions that have benzyl
alcohol can be use to treat pain and itching too.
Other natural remedies you can try to treat the rash
include:
- Applying lukewarm water (preferably over 120 degrees F
or 50 °C) immediately to the bites area is also known to
provide relief to some people.
- Simply washing it regularly with antibacterial soap to
keep bacteria from growing and causing infection.
- Calamine Lotion will help protect the skin as it heals.
It will also speed of the drying out of the rash which will
heal it faster.
- Powdered oatmeal can be added to a lukewarm bath that
is soaked in. It will provide relief from not only itching
but reduce inflammations and irritation as well. It can
also be made into paste and applied directly to the affect
areas.
- A mixture of salt and baking soda can also be applied
to the affected areas to relieve inflammation.
- A cotton ball dipped in Alka-Seltzer solution can be
rubbed on the bed bug rash to help clear it up but should
not be used if you are allergic to aspirin.
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