As temperatures rise, mosquitoes become a nuisance, and a doctor has shared a tip for dealing with bites that she says will "literally change your life". Dr Trisha Pasricha, a Harvard Medical School scientist with over 13,000 TikTok followers, recommends rubbing the bite gently with two fingers instead of scratching.
How the trick works
In a video, Dr Pasricha demonstrated the method on a bite on her knuckle, saying: "Do not scratch. Instead, do what I'm doing. Just rub it gently with two fingers." She explained that the itch from a mosquito bite comes from the contrast between activated nerve fibres in the bite area and inactive surrounding nerves. Rubbing activates a broad area of nerves, removing that contrast.
She added that you don't have to rub the exact spot: "You just have to rub somewhere in the same dermatome (area of skin). So for me, if I rub right here, which is like an inch or two away from the spot, the itch here goes away. Neat, right?"
Other remedies from viewers
Commenters shared their own tips, including applying olive oil, using scotch tape, washing the bite, ignoring the itch, and using lavender essential oil.
