[GIFTED] As I get older, I seem to become tastier and tastier to mozzies. Not just mozzies, I attract horseflies and anything else which fancies a light lunch of my blood. Since sharing my post about How to Treat a Horsefly bite, I have been on the hunt for some chemical free bite treatment to keep on me during the biting season. Which for me seems to be about twelve months of the year!
The best example of Jit and I getting eaten alive by mosquitos!
Chemical Free Bite Treatment
Although it is handy to have a variety of solutions to those pesky bites and sting (especially when you’re away from home) having some checmical free bite treatment is ideal. Something to reduce the swelling, pain and most importantly itching! I found out about Bite Away and was really keen to give their product a try. It Is a pen-like device which administs heat to the affected area of skin to reduce both the swelling and the itching. They sent me one to try out. Thankfully, I’m yet to have a bite this year, but fear not. I will be updating this post as soon as I do.
Tried and Tested
I’ll admit that there are a lot of chemical free bite treatment options available on the market, which makes it hard to know which ones actually work. I have used Aloe Vera gel to varying success, and cold compresses work while you have them on. Which is evidently not practical if you want to enjoy yourself, despite your itchy lumps. The thing that attracted me to Bite Away is that they have some pretty impressive proof that it works. Something which is only subjective in many of the other options I have seen and/or tried. Some of the chemical free bite treaments I have considered in the past, have impressive marketing spiel, but nothing to make you feel assurred.
Bite Away has been through a study with the Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology people. Who, to me, sound like they know what they’re doing. They found from the study measuring pain, swelling and itching with treatment of Bite Away treatment was notable. In just two minutes, there was a reduction in pain from the sting or bite and after ten minutes, the pain had almost disappeared.
If you fancy getting deep and geeky with the study data, you can check out the full report here.
About the Bite Away
As far as chemical free bite treatment goes, this is an unusual looking device. Kind of like a pen, with buttons and a flat ceramic end and batteries in the handle. Although it is a bit on the big side, I concluded that it was smaller than the array of other treatments I would usual carry in my pack. The shape is ergonomic and really intuitive to use. One of the buttons administers a short three second or a longer five second burst of heat. All you have to do is pop the ceramic nose onto your bite or sting, press the button for your chosen time and let it work.
The device works by applying a temperature of 51C to the bite or sting. This works in two ways. One, by decreasing the itching by targeting the pain receptors and inhibiting the itch signal. And secondly, the heat shock induces something called ‘Immunomodulation’ which basically kick starts the immune system and helps target the release of histamie and inflamation. For more geekery and terminology, you can check out this article about it.
In terms for you and me, non-scientists, the Bite Away is a chemical free bite treatment that reduces the swelling, stinging, itching and irritability of a bite of sting. This makes it perfect for any of us with very sensitive skin, on other medications, if you’re pregnant and for children. Sounds like a win to me.
Long-lasting Piece of Kit
If you are anything like me, you will find that when you go into your first aid box or travel kit, half of it has secretly gone out of date or squeezed out onto everything else. Not an ideas situation when you’re heading out for a hike or packing for a trip away. I’m also not a fan of pumping myself with chemicals – especially when a lot of them don’t work and have warnings about not using them for long. The Bite Away, to me, is a great alternative. Yes it might be dearer than a £5 tups of cream, but it does last longer.
Let’s think about it. You get bitten on holiday, so buy the bite cream from the chemist. Use it for a few days until your bite feels OK and then it vanishes into your bag. When you next need it, you either don’t have it, can’t find it, you are on conflicting medication or it has inevitably gone off. The Bite Away, is a checmical free bite treatment, which has no expiry date. You might simply need to replace the batteries at some point in it’s lifetime. I like that it can be in my bag and survive the rough and tumble my rucksack gets on my daily travels. I don’t have to worry about a creamy mess when I open my bag for lunch.
Testing it for Myself
So I am not going to announce that I am eager to get a bit, but I am a little bit curious to give the chemical free bite treatment of the Bite Away a real The Urban Wanderer street test. I have, however, in the meantime done it on my finger (and Jit’s too – he is also on the biting bug menu) I was surprised how warm it gets, yet doesn’t hurt. It was a comfortable heat. Of course I had no itching or swelling to contend with, but I will definitely try it when I do.
For now though, I am pleased to have a chemical free bite treament alternative to the pile of creams I normally consider. I will be carrying this in my rucksack on my adventures and will update you with a full test when I have a bite or sting. One thing I am looking forward to though, is easing that irritating itching which comes with bites and stings!
If you fancy grabbing a Bite Away for your outdoor or travel kit, they are handily available on Amazon Prime through this link (I get nothing back for you buying this, just the warm fuzzy feeling that I have helped you to find a chemical free bite treatment!)