Moquito bites

I have a very bad reaction to mosquito bites and was bitten twice on my arm on a visit to Italy earlier this month. One bite swelled badly and looked very unpleasant.
I bought a gel containing Dimetindene maleato ( not sure if I can use the brand name)from a local pharmacy and within 48 hours it was much better and no longer itching.

I always suffered badly from mozzie bites but DH didn't have any, then after a couple of particularly nasty ones I took his hay fever antihistamine tabs for two days (the non drowsy sort) and the swelling & itching rapidly diminished. I think some people have an allergic reaction to the bites, and I am one. Best of course to try and repel them but doesn't always work. Never wear perfume or scented stuff either - they love it.

HildaW wrote:
"especially as there are many more potential biters than just mossies!"
But mossies are the worst, I think. They can carry horrible diseases, I hate them. Look out for tiger mossies.
But I suppose tics and tsetse flies are horrible too.
If I'm going to a place where there are mossies I coverup - long sleeves, trousers etc.
Valerie - I looked up Zanre and it's a Greek island, so should be breezy and that might keep them away.
But even the common housefly can bite - if you have a wound, or surface veins, they go after the BLOOD (hehe )

I swear by the skin so soft dry oil spray. And it smells delicious too. If you DD is unlucky enough to get bitten a little dab of neat vodka helps to reduce the swelling and the itching . Your DD needs to be careful when sitting in a cafe/bar/ restaurant in the evening as they tend to hang around under tables looking for bare legs . Bloomin horrible critters that they are .

Thanks to all who responded, SSS does still have Citronella in the ingredients,as i have some and checked, and my daughter has looked at her sprays and they still have it in it,but i will tell her about this thread,
I remember now it has been mentioned about Brewers yeast,i have also heard that it works
Also will tell her about the afterbite pen
Anthisan is very good for itching too

Ooh thanks for that, mimiro, it has so many healing properties and is all natural.

take a afterbite pen from boots or superdrug just in case of bites

found this
www.medicalsforsport.co.uk/product/songbird-tui-bee-balm/

I got bitten by a white tailed spider downunder, not good. Medical assistance needed and antibiotics, the lot. What was wonderful though was the soothing cream they recommended called Tui balm, I think it's called Song bird balm over here. I used it on bites for ages, must remember to find it again.

OOPs silly me....meant DEET.....I used the Boots 'Repel' brand! Its still quite nasty stuff but once you find out what can potentially bite you and what said insect could give you.....you just go for it! Well I did!

wow didnt know ddt was still being manufactured en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

valeriej43 - when we went to South Africa a couple of years ago we booked an appointment with the nurse at our surgery - she runs a 'travel' clinic and went through the best and latest advise for travelers. We see her whenever we are going somewhere a bit different. Its very important to get proper advise....the gossip about the Avon product is just that....gossip with no scientific background.
We went on anti malarial medicines and took lashings of decent insect repellent. There is an accepted alternative to DDT - its a brand called Incognito and certainly worked for my husband. I stuck to Boots DDT as I get bitten very regularly at home. Its not nice stuff but for the 2 weeks we were there we felt it was worth it - especially as there are many more potential bitters than just mossies!

patchouli oil has been used as a bug repellent for centuries in asia.
i make a mist spray with oil and water to spray animal beds and furniture.also spray on legs when going out seems to work and i live in a really bad mosquito place

avon has now seperated original sss so they can market their own 'squito repellant

I think it is 'Skin so Soft ORIGINAL' that you need. I used it in India this year, along with normal repellent and was not bitten at all.

I have just remembered , having seen about marmite that some recommend taking Brewers yeast tablets daily several weeks before the holiday.

Thanks everyone will pass all info on,
Her partner has bough a few of the SSSsprays lol

Zante is not really a dangerous area for mosquito bites, but I do agree they can ruin a holiday with itching and swelling, especially in the heat.
I suffer badly and was told it is something in your blood which attracts the mosquito in the first place. It is the female which bites, something to do with laying eggs I think. Yuk! Anyway, one remedy is to eat marmite for a period before the trip because they don't like the smell. I apply creams or sprays with Deet in and that seems to help, but I found the plug-ins pretty useless and you can't take them with you to the beach with you anyway. Anthisan cream is good to apply on a bite, it has antihistamine.

Some of Avon's Skin So Soft range used citronella, an old, traditional insect repellent.You will find the same ingredient in some 'natural' or 'traditional' repellents, and if you like, you can buy it from the chemist and dilute with oil to rub on the skin.
But as annsixty says, it's not generally recommended for serious insect repelling (I use it in the garden here on summer evenings).You could ask at an ordinary chemist what the current recommendations are. But as they should be getting proper medical travel advice anyway, I would ask at the travel clinic (who will be up to date) or check on gov.uk, following the links to specific travel advice.

Information supplied to me mainptains that the new formulation of Avon Skin So Soft spray does not contain a mosquito repellent. The formula was changed after the discovery was made.

The best protection from mosquitos is a net, especially at night, and if you do get bitten, which you will, apply something to deal with the itch.

If the mozzies are really bad as they can be in tropical countries you really need something strong . When visiting my D who lived abroad for 3 years we used Jungle Formula and never got bitten. You used to be able to buy plug in thingies for use in the bedroom at night but I don't know if they are still available.
She should take all the precautions she can as bites can ruin a holiday.