In Home Supportive Services – Relieving Chigger Bites
Summer is a time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Hiking through the fields, picking berries, or even gardening. Summer is also the height of bug season. One nasty rascal that makes itself known to those who enter into many forests, grassy fields, or parklands near water is the chigger. The chigger is actually a mite larva. Each chigger is only 1/150th of an inch long and can barely be seen. The results of their bites don't require a magnifying glass, however.
Contrary to popular belief, chiggers do not dig into the skin. Instead, they jab the soft areas of your body with their feeding tube and inject a digestive enzyme into it. They then feed on the dead skin. Chigger bites are …show more content…
For example, covering the area in nail polish is supposed to kill the chigger so it no longer bites. Since the chigger is not buried under the skin, this does not work. All the nail polish does is make you scratch the area less.
The best way to relieve chigger bites is to take a warm shower and scrub with soap to get the chiggers off of your body. Any clothing worn should be laundered. Steroid creams help to reduce itching and swelling. In home supportive services personnel can help with the cleaning of the areas and applying cream. They can also cover the areas in a loose bandage to prevent scratching which will only irritate the area and make it worse.
The best medicine for chiggers is good prevention. Wearing long clothing, using bug spray with DEET and tucking the pants into the boots are all effective ways to reduce chigger bites.
In short, summer is a great time to get out and about. When you do, take some precautions to avoid pests like chiggers. If a few of them do find their way to the body, never fear. In home supportive services personnel are there to help alleviate your loved one's discomfort and keep them ready for their next
Summer is a time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Hiking through the fields, picking berries, or even gardening. Summer is also the height of bug season. One nasty rascal that makes itself known to those who enter into many forests, grassy fields, or parklands near water is the chigger. The chigger is actually a mite larva. Each chigger is only 1/150th of an inch long and can barely be seen. The results of their bites don't require a magnifying glass, however.
Contrary to popular belief, chiggers do not dig into the skin. Instead, they jab the soft areas of your body with their feeding tube and inject a digestive enzyme into it. They then feed on the dead skin. Chigger bites are …show more content…
For example, covering the area in nail polish is supposed to kill the chigger so it no longer bites. Since the chigger is not buried under the skin, this does not work. All the nail polish does is make you scratch the area less.
The best way to relieve chigger bites is to take a warm shower and scrub with soap to get the chiggers off of your body. Any clothing worn should be laundered. Steroid creams help to reduce itching and swelling. In home supportive services personnel can help with the cleaning of the areas and applying cream. They can also cover the areas in a loose bandage to prevent scratching which will only irritate the area and make it worse.
The best medicine for chiggers is good prevention. Wearing long clothing, using bug spray with DEET and tucking the pants into the boots are all effective ways to reduce chigger bites.
In short, summer is a great time to get out and about. When you do, take some precautions to avoid pests like chiggers. If a few of them do find their way to the body, never fear. In home supportive services personnel are there to help alleviate your loved one's discomfort and keep them ready for their next