Stop Scratching Tips this Rainy Season

Mosquito bites
Mosquitoes feed on blood not by biting but by drawing it out through a syringe-like part of their mouth called proboscis, which only female mosquitoes have. They don’t choose their victims. Just as long as they can see it is moving and warm, they can sense it is alive and has blood.

When mosquitoes “bite,” their saliva contains an anticoagulant that keeps the blood from clotting and makes drawing out of blood easier.

Our immune system responds to the anticoagulant by releasing histamine, a chemical that causes the blood vessels near the bite to enlarge, resulting in the formation of a wheal—the red and swollen area visible in the skin. Apart from this, histamine also irritates the skin’s nerve endings, causing itchiness.

Skin irritations brought by bad weather
Rainy season has started and you can’t help but be cautious for your safety. With the season come floods, which bring diseases and infections. One of the popular ones is skin irritations.

When you’re stuck in a flooded area, sometimes you have no choice but to get into the water knowing that it is contaminated with germs and bacteria. And even after you’ve washed and disinfected your feet, they may become itchy and you feel the urge to scratch them. This is because exposure to contaminants causes an allergic reaction of the skin and triggers the immune system to release histamine, which causes the itchiness.

Click here to read on about what to do to soothe itchy and irritated skin.