Help My Daughter's Mosquito Bites Are Scaring!!

Hi M. my granddaughter is the same way. When she gets bitten by a mosquito her does the same thing. I took her to the doctore and he told me she allegric to them. He told me
when she get bitten put ice on to minmize the swollen, then give her liquid benydrl, I also put on some antibotic cream. But most in important I bought children safe bug repellant for
when she going to be outside. When she was 2 it was worse, she 7 now and the bites don't get as large.

Good Morning M.:

I hope your having a wonderful day! I have twin daughters who are five years old and each time they get bitten by a mosquito bite, their bites turn into welts and what I discovered is the repellant and or citronella oil, and or candles hasn't not worked in preventing bites. Like your daughter, if they are outside within minutes my girls have numerous bites all within minutes. So what I think has helped my girls is, prior to them going outside, I rub them down with clear calamine lotion and or pure aloe vera plant and although they still receive a bite or two, it has helped in slowing down the amount of bites they have gotten. Immediately wash each bite with peroxide and apply aloe vera from the plant leaf and that has helped with the scarring. Like your daughter, they scratch as well and although it is so difficult for them not to scratch, I try to constantly remind them to rub their bites to prevent from scarring. Please check your local nursery to see if they have the aloe plant and or pieces of the aloe because you can apply that to her body if she gets a scratch or any type of brasion or rash. Continue to apply 3-4 times a day to prevent scarring and also purchase 100% coco butter. If I find they are getting a really bad reaction to the bite, on ocassions, I will give them benadryl but that is very rare because I prefer to use 100% natural products versus putting drugs into their little bodies. Good Luck and I hope it works because it literally breaks my heart and makes me crazy seeing them with huge welts on their bodys from bites. Thus far I have seen progress.

Enjoy your day.

hi. i agree with MeLinda. when i was vacationing in mexico one year, the mosquito bites on my legs scarred. they looked terrible, but did go away over a couple of years. i still get the scars sometimes even in the states if i scratch bites, but the sun is milder and the scars are less severe. i have read that children, especially young ones, do not scar permanently very easily without a major accident. personally, i wouldn't worry and pump her with benadryl or do anything else except do as you have and apply cortisone or other topical medication to alleviate the itching. she'll probably be fine.

We are in the same boat as you. My son is starting to scar every time he gets bit. I have heard that tucking a sheet of fabric softener into a pocket will repel them -- unfortunately we are allergic to it. I just try to keep him out of areas that have water in them. Away from pools, creeks, etc. It seems like this week being around the sand was bad because he got bit at least 6 times. He doesn't scratch when he is awake, but he scratches in his sleep. UGH!
H.

For my son and I we use Jason Oil (in health secition) Vit. E. and Shea/coco butter, both help with scarring.

I don't have a magic cure either. My 23m/o son has the same problem though, his leg are covered w/ scars, he usually wakes up in the morning w/ them, we have tried everything, but our home was build on a landfill also. We gave him benedryl once, the only thing that does is help w/ the itch, it didn't for him. Some of his bites even get infected, or celulitis, we apply bactroban to every bite and hydrocortizone 1%. His pediatrician said if that didn't work we could try a prescription strenght hydrocort cream, but I don't like giving him all those steroids, even if it is just a cream. My oldest daughter only had this problem for 2 summers when she was little, she is 14 now and dark olive skinned, you would never know that at one time her legs were covered in scars. I'm more worried about the illnesses that my son could get from the mosquito bites.

My son did the same thing. 2 different family friends recommended applying the Vicks Vapo Rub (we've used the cream and the ointment, both with great success) to the bite when it first occurs, and then as needed, usually at least once daily thereafter. It sounds crazy, but I think the menthol helps the "open" up the fluid buildup that accumulates inside the bump caused by the bite, thereby helping the poison from the mosquito bite dissipate as well. Whatever the physiology, it seemed to work. Note this isn't medical advice, just another mom sharing what has worked for her. You might want to make sure that your child isn't allergic to Vicks before trying this. Good luck!!!

Hi Michelle

As a child I was eaten alive buy mosquitos.
I now am not so tasty to them but get the occassional bites.
Plasters on them will not let them heal quickly as the air has to get to them. I am not a picker and never have been but have no scars from bites. One holiday in Greece we counted I had 140 bites.
I put gel witch hazel on any bites and I find that helps them go away quicker.
Also watch what suncreams and lotions your child has on because they may be attracting them.
hope I have been of some help.

As a 34 year old woman who was a MOSQUITO MAGNET as a kid (our house was built on a filled in swamp- but the swamp was still there- about 50 feet from the house- you can imagine the mosquitos!) I'd say relax (I know I sound crazy), but I remember scratching and scratching and scratching and then picking, picking, picking- I'm sure it was horrifying for my mom. But, I don't have a single scar anywhere now. They do fade away. In the meantime, keep them covered up with insect repellent (they say DEET works well). I also remember lots of the pink stuff- calamine? caladryl? I don't think I've ever had a Benadryl in my life and although I remember the bites and I remember that they were itchy- I don't remember much more than that. Good luck!

Michelle,

I used to have the same problem. I was told by a dermatologist that my bites were photo-sensative. In other words sun made them scar. There is no going back except time.

I would deffinately take her to a dermatologist and have them checked if that is at all possible. At the very least I would recommend that you try to keep her out of the sun as much as possible. No amount of sun screen make any difference for me.

Basically, I was super alergic to the bites and the sun made them 10 times worse. I had to stop letting the sun hit my legs. When I did that they (the scars) cleared up within a couple of years. (I didn't have this problem anywhere but my legs)

Good luck. I know personally it is not a pretty picture. Feel free to email me directly if you would like.

M.

Hi Michelle,
Go to the site below and check out what they have. I got the dermatechrx for poison ivy and it was gon in two days. I wish you luck!

http://shop.qbased.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&...

I am a mom of four not a doctor. I think first aid sprays with numbing stuff and anti ITCH GEL can help prevent these little ones from itching.... re-itching. I think the little bit of surface infection from itching and itching causes the scaring (or worst scaring). Yes it is a lot of benadryl to take by mouth but wouldn't it be worth not having those awful scares that you see every day that are our fault if we don't give the medicine that helps these little darlings. I use both forms of the medicine though, the itch medicine (gel) we can put on the skin that is in the clear liquid almost gel like form, that they sell at I think most every drug store or walmart or target; The ingredient diphenhydramine hydrochloride is like putting on liquid benadryl that gets absorbed by the skin. you can put a drop on every hour or every 15 minutes if you want. you can also alternate hydrocortizone every hour or every 15 minutes. This way I can get lots of benadryl right where its is needed. alternating first aid sprays with numbing stuff help prevent the itching too especially if the little darlings already started itching before you realized they had a bite. but the biggest winner is lots of applications of liquid itch relief gel. it helps with the itching feeling and is going in the skin and helping with the reactions going on in the skin. so its helping short term and long term. key multiple applications. but alternate with the other things as well if you care about preventing scaring. once my child itches the top surface skin away I don't just think of it as only a bite its a wound now too, so then I alternate neosporin too. About old scars keep them out of the sun and moisturize often. mederma has sun screen in it . Small band aids or clothes block the sun too. when my kids see me putting stuff on them and they are getting better they believe me and find the will power to stop itching because they BELIEVE ME that the itch will go away faster when they consistently see me helping them. and yes applying something every hour or every 15 minutes can take a lot of time for a few days but applying stuff to scars for three years takes time too, so take your pick

Michelle,

I find that pure aloe ver has very good healing properties for skin ailments, as does cocoa butter. I had eczema something horrible when I was younger and picked, scratched and dug uncontrollably. Luckily the scars faded.

Good Luck

My daughter is extremely allergic to mosquitoes. Her skin blisters, gets fevered and swells, followed by scarring. She had gotten bit several times when we were out of town by Asia Tiger mosquitoes, which left her skin looking like she had ringworm because the scar shape. I tried cocoa butter, shea butter, oils and scrubs but it didn't help; but dermalmd scar serum has lightened her scar in just 10 days. It says to apply twice a day, but I've only been doing it once and the results are great, even after missing a couple days. She's 4, and I like there are recognizable ingredients and that it works for her.

although i dont think benedryl is awful to use (but some kids get hyper from it), i doubt it would actually do too much to help. scars do fade at this young age- once the summer is over and the tans fade the skin will rejuvinate and be fine. i spray off all over my kids clothes but otherwise there isnt too much to do. some kids and adults just get bitten. try to avoid the mosquito areas. the after bite for kids works on some kids. i hear toothpaste helps too. my son has bad exzema and even in summer i keep him in the footed pajama bottoms and long sleeves to prevent itching.

I used dermalmd scar serum and after just short of a week I see noticeably less scarring on my daughter. One scar was over 7 months old and has already faded dramatically!

My daughter - 25 months - also has this happen. Exactly as you describe. I am waiting for the tan to fade to see if the scarring is less noticeable, otherwise I will try the Mederma for Kids.

If you discover a fresh bite, try this: Rub it with the inside of a banana peel. Souns strange, I know, but I tried it on myself and there was no itch.

Okay, and I just googled and it is for real, I am not making it up. I also found this website for a natural product containing bananas for this purpose, which I may buy.

http://www.nutopicals.com/bananas.htm

You can get rid of scars anywhere on your body using this simple product. Check http://www.getridscars.com

I don't have an answer for this because my daughter is exactly the same way and she is now nine. Like you, I cannot in good faith give her Benedryl every day during the summer. We have just tried to be dilligent with the off and unfortunatly keep her in in the evenings. Her baby scars have faded, the others well, we keep our fingers crossed. Honestly right now, my poor little girl looks like she had the measles or Chicken Pox on her legs. If anyone DOES have an answer - Please help!