How to Get Rid of Mosquito Bite Scars?

Introduction

When mosquito bites, it injects saliva into our body, which contains anti-coagulants and certain proteins. To protect our body, our immune system releases histamines to counter these foreign substances. This histamine causes the area around the bite to become red, itchy, swell and form bumps. This is actually a natural healing part within our body.

This is how our body responds to mosquito bites but what happens thereafter and how it leads to formation of mosquito bite scars, and what we can do to get rid of mosquito bite scars.

How Mosquito bite scars are formed

Mosquito bites are self-healing and usually disappears in 1 or 2 days. Many a times mosquito bites leave undesired scars on our body that remain there for a quiet long time.

These scars are itchy and cause inflammation, redness, and due to excessive scratching may lead to infection and allergic reactions.

What causes mosquito bite scars?

The excessive scratching due to unbearable itching causes the skin to rupture and get exposed with open wounds, leading to infections. This interrupts the natural healing process and forms scars. This is because the immune system is fighting with the infections and once the infection is gone than only skin cells will get regenerated.

3 main reasons behind scarring of mosquito bites

1. Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

The most common reason of mosquito bite scars is PIH (Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation). Due to inflammation around the mosquito bite areas, the skin produces excess of melanin, and this becomes dark spots or patches. This normally fades away in few months but can leave some scars permanently if not treated.

2. Keloid Scarring

During the healing process, body sometimes produces too much of collagen which forms a raised, bump like areas of thickened skin, these are called keloid scars. These normally happens after any injury or even after insect or mosquito bites. Keloid scars are very difficult to treat, and they grow beyond the boundaries of actual injury area. They vary in color from pink, to red or brown.

Thus keloid scars are just an overgrowth of tissue that extends beyond the original injury, during the healing process after any injury.

3. Infection and Allergic reactions

Allergic reactions can worsen the mosquito bites further, by causing excessive unbearable itching. Scratching mosquito bites intensively may cause skin wounds which are open and exposed, and more prone to skin infections. In severe cases, mosquito bites can even cause blistering, hives, or severe infection, which leads to scarring.

Treat mosquito bites before they leave scars

There are different methods and applications that might be useful in getting rid of mosquito bite scars. This depends on the degree of scarring and how old the scar is. The following methods are useful and you should give it a try:

How to get rid of mosquito bite scars?

Follow the steps or actions below to get rid of mosquito scars from your legs and hands:

1. Immediate application of ice pack

As soon as the mosquito bite occurs, prevent the formation of scar by using an ice pack. This reduces itching and swelling at the area around mosquito bite.

2. Applying Anti-histamine creams

Apply Anti-histamine creams or take oral anti-histamines to get relieve from itching and inflammation.

3. Applying Anti-bacterial ointment

Apply any anti-bacterial ointment after cleaning the area. This will prevent bacterial growth around the bite and in any wounds from excessive scratching. If the bite area gets infected with bacteria, it may result in scarring.

4. Applying Anti-itch creams

For preventing scars, it is important to stop scratching the mosquito bite. You can use anti-itch creams that contains hydrocortisone or calamine. This will give relief from itching and reduce the urge to scratch.

5. Using Scar creams and gels

Use scar creams and gels that contains silicone, retinoids or vitamin E which helps in lightening the scars. These products helps in regeneration of healthy skin cells, after which the scars and dark spots fade away over time.

6. Using Exfoliating agent

Exfoliating agent removes the dead skin cells from the skin surface and thus revealing the healthy fresh skin below. Use a gentle exfoliating agent to avoid any worsening of the scars, which may cause more itching and irritation. These exfoliators improves the absorption of creams and lotions as the skin pores are now more porous and open, thus improving the effectiveness of other topical treatments taken later.

7. Using Moisturizers

Scars are more noticeable and visible on dry skin. Dry skin are healed slower than moisturized skin. Use moisturizers that contain shea butter, cocoa butter or hyaluronic acid, that keeps the skin hydrated and moisturized which promotes healing. Apply moisturizer multiple times in a day to get best results by preventing skin drying.

8. Applying chemical peels

Chemical peel offs are generally applied on skin and allowed to dry. After which it gets peeled off like a skin layer, which along with it peels off any dead skin layer or debris.

9. Undergoing Microdermabrasion treatment

Its actually a cosmetic procedure, which uses tiny crystals to abrade the skin surface. This exfoliates the skin and resulting in new skin cells generation. It is generally used to remove dark spots and scars from skin.

10. Undergoing Laser treatment

For severe scars, there’s no other option than cosmetic removal which is effectively done by lasers. laser treatments are very effective but quiet expensive and therefore not useful in every case.

Prevent scarring of mosquito bites

The mosquito bites should be treated immediately or as soon as possible which will help in preventing the scarring of mosquito bites:

1. Avoid scratching

Scratching is one of the main reason of scarring, therefore you must avoid scratching the bite area. You must keep your nails short, wear gloves and cover the bite with a bandage, to avoid scratching.

2. Protect from sun

Exposure to direct sunlight may cause darkening of the area and thus it promotes the formation of a scar. Cover the affected skin and avoid going to sunlight with exposed bite area. Apply sunscreen lotion with a high SPF to the affected area to prevent scarring of mosquito bites.

3. Use natural remedies

There are many options to keep your body and skin hydrated. Natural households like honey, lemon, aloe vera, coconut oil, etc., are effective in rehydrating skin and thus preventing any scar formation.

Home remedies for mosquito bite scars

1. Lemon Juice

Lemon juice has a natural bleaching action on skin, and effective against dark spots. Apply lemon juice on mosquito bite scars, using cotton balls and leave it for 10 minutes. Then wash it off with warm water. After applying lemon stay away from sunlight, as this may damage the skin due to UV rays.

2. Honey

Honey keeps the skin hydrated and it prevents any further scarring. Apply honey on affected areas and leave it overnight, for best results.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a natural moisturizer and keeps the skin hydrated. It aides in skin healing process and regeneration of skin cells. Its a natural remedy against skin scars and marks, which takes some time and give efficient results.

4. Coconut oil

Coconut oil keeps the skin soft, hydrated and moisturized. Apply coconut oil frequently to regenerate skin cells, which helps in lightening of the mosquito bite scars.

How to avoid mosquito bite scars

There are few actions you may take to prevent mosquito bites that may become scar:

• using mosquito repellents
• using mosquito nets and screens
• wear protective clothing
• wear light colored clothing
• limit outdoor time
• eat foods that repel mosquitoes
• using mosquito dunks or larvicides to kill mosquito larvae
• using natural mosquito repellent plants outdoors

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)