Often the first sign that there is an infestation of bed bugs present are the bites on the victims body. Once the shock of having bed bugs has worn off concerns often arise as to what the implications are to the health of those who have suffered bites.

The reaction to bed bug bites will vary from person to person. For some very fortunate people there will be no reaction at all, they may not even be aware of the presence of the bed bugs because they are nocturnal. Bites themselves are painless because the bugs inject an anticoagulant into their victim to allow the blood to flow freely.

For the no so lucky, the allergic reaction they suffer to the anticoagulant causes rashes, bumps or welts to appear of the skin which become extremely itchy and cause a lot of discomfort. The good news is that other than this there is no ill health associated with bed bug bites.

What is the best treatment for bed bug bites?

The first line of defence has to be to prevent more bites, so eradicating the bed bugs has to be a priority. You can get lots of help with this at Treatment For Bed Bugs.com

You could visit your doctor however because bed bug bites are essentially an allergic reaction and have no distinctive appearance of their own they are quite often misdiagnosed as other skin problems. They can take the appearance of a red rash, a reddish patch on the skin or little bumps or welts.

The first step in the treatment of bed bug bites and probably the most important is DON'T SCRATCH. This is practically impossible I know but if the welts start to bleed and weep there is a risk that they could become infected.

Use some warm water to bathe the area and use a cream which will sooth the itch and calm the redness. There are lots of creams available at the drug store for insect bites - Hydrocortisone will do just as well. An antihistamine may be something you could try. One of the best known is Benadryl and is also widely available at the drug store.

Another option would be to apply something like Calamine Lotion, which, although messy does give some relief.

The length of time the itching and rash or welts last again usually vary from person to person. This will also depend on how quickly you can get rid of the infestation of bed bugs to stop further bites. As a rough guide the itching and rash can last anything from a few days to a few weeks if you are unlucky enough.