Msn, The Healthy – Best Anti-itch Creams For Mosquito Bites
This article originally appeared in *MSN and The Healthy*on July 30, 2020
Written by Lauren Cahn, Photo by FOTODUETS/GETTY IMAGES
Itchy, scratchy, red, swollen, and unsightly, mosquitos bites can be unbearable. Here are the best anti-itch creams on Amazon.
They may seem mostly annoying, but mosquito bites itch like crazy and we’re in the height of the season. And while there are mosquito-borne illnesses to worry about, the risk of actual infection is fairly low, according to disease experts. But a mosquito bite almost guarantees that you will be itching like crazy.
Sarna Anti-Itch Lotion
Sarna Anti-Itch Lotion is also recommended by several of our experts. New York City dermatologist, Marie Hayag, MD, explains that it contains 0.5 percent camphor and 0.05 percent menthol, both of which stimulate nerves in the area with sensations that compete—and help drown out—that itchy feeling and urge to scratch, which is can help avoid doing damage to the skin. (Also, find out the difference between a chigger bite and mosquito bite.)
Benadryl Extra Strength Itch-Stopping Gel
This formulation of the popular anti-itch medication, Benadryl’s Extra Strength Itch-Stopping Cream, offers everything the gel offers, plus 0.1 percent zinc (in the form of zinc acetate) which helps soothe inflamed skin, according to Dr. Hayag. (Please note these times when you should never scratch your itchy skin.)
Caladryl Calamine Plus Itch Reliever Lotion
Caladryl combines calamine plus the pain-and-itch reliever, pramoxine (1 percent), which many of our experts recommend as an active ingredient to look for in anti-itch creams. Dr. Hayag, who describes pramoxine as a topical anesthetic “numbing medicine” explains that it works by interfering with pain signals sent from the nerves to the brain, thus blocking both pain and itching. (Learn more about ant bites, bug bites and insect bites.)
CeraVe Itch Relief Moisturizing Cream
For a super-moisturizing anti-itch cream, you’ll want to try CeraVE’s, which is one of the few true moisturizing creams we could find that contains one percent pramoxine. That’s among the reasons Dr. Hayag recommends it so highly. In addition, and despite its super-moisturizing properties, CeraVe is non-comedogenic, which means it won’t clog your pores. Not a concern? (Well, here are the best facial moisturizers for your particular skin type.)