Usually fleas’ bites only affect your pets and suck the blood from them, but they can also bite people too. Flea bites on people are the most common type of insect bite.
There are a lot of fleas that can bite people like cat flea, dog flea, and human flea. Basically fleas use their jaws to cut through an individual’s skin, and then excrete their saliva, which contains enzymes and anticoagulant. The anticoagulant prevents the blood from clotting, thus enabling the fleas to suck more blood. The enzyme will cause an allergic reaction to the bitten people.
What do these flea bites look like?
The fleas usually bite at the lower portions of the legs, such as the ankles. A flea bite usually looks like a red spot, and is accompanied by a halo of redness. It can last for several hours depending on a person’s reaction to it. It can cause slight irritation or itchiness in some people. But there are others that will have a more extreme reaction and can sometimes lead to hives with excessive swelling. Children tend to be more vulnerable to these flea bites because their skin is more sensitive. Their cases are much more severe than adults.
How to treat flea bites
You can save time and money if you try these home remedies first before consulting your family doctor. These treatments are for mild cases of allergy.
1. Using a mild antiseptic detergent or soap, wash the affected area thoroughly.
2. You can place an ice pack on the affected area, which will reduce the inflammation and swelling.
3. Use calamine lotion to relieve the itch.
4. Use a mild steroidal cream, such as hydrocortisone. These are readily available in your local pharmacy. It will relieve the swelling and itch much faster.
You should always remember that prevention is better than trying to find a cure. Fleas are able to breed at a fast pace and getting rid of them can really be a difficult task. You should be able to control and eradicate these fleas. You should treat the source like your pets, the house etc. You will need patience and effort to do this before you can finally declare your home to be free of those nasty fleas.
Hives is medically known as urticaria. It is a disease of the skin that causes patches and rings all over your body. Urticaria is caused by a chemical known as histamine. This is the reason why your skin forms red blotches. They appear in groups and are red in color. They can also appear in different sizes, depending on the severity of the illness.
Allergens usually trigger these hives from appearing. This allergen can be in the form of nuts, eggs, berries, jelly fish, insect bites, medicine, etc. It can also be due to exposure to extreme weather, tight clothing, sweat or it can even be hereditary. Swelling on the affected region, pain, and itchiness are the most common symptoms of hives. Fortunately, hives can be cured even with the use of home remedies. You can try these remedies at home and see if it works.
Additional information about skin diseases can be found in Impetigo Pictures.