How to avoid mosquito bites is a regular topic of discussion
for people visiting affected areas.
THE BLOG ARTICLE BELOW WAS UPDATED IN JUNE 2022 AFTER AVON REFORMULATED THEIR SKIN SO SOFT RANGE.
I was badly bitten in 2017 at Koukounaries on Skiathos, and
almost chomped to death last spring on Crete. I decided to do something about
it for my Skiathos holiday last autumn, and research things a little.
In the past I've simply not bothered with creams, and just
stuck to taking my usual antihistamines.
I don't know why, when it clearly hasn't worked! For this holiday I resolved not to suffer
like I had in April.
But I didn't want to hear old wives tales, I wanted solid,
scientific evidence as to what really works.
The Research
The Research
Firstly, the lotions/sprays/creams. I've read quite a few online
scientific/medical reports, and watched a few videos.
Here's a good one showing just how good DEET is.
That really does seem to work. Reading a few articles in scientific/medical
journals, the scientists appear to think DEET, PMD, picaridin and oil of lemon
eucalyptus (NOT Lemon Eucalyptus (Essential) Oil) are all pretty good. There's
a story that the SAS use Avon Skin So Soft, which sounds bizarre, and
old-wife-tale-y, but there's nothing secret or magic about it, it just happens
to contain picaridin. ** Please see the footnote about Avon Skin So Soft.
Looking at all of the tests combined it looks like DEET is
maybe just slightly better than the others, though there's not a lot in
it. The % concentration of DEET in a
product above 15% doesn't appear to make that product 'better', it just lasts
longer, between 15% and 50%. However,
some people get rashes and other side effects above 30%, so that looks like the
best bet if you think you might not react well to it.
I know some people say "Nothing works for me!",
but when you look at the tests which have been done, I think anyone wearing 30%
DEET who still gets bitten is most probably not applying it correctly, not
applying it often enough, or applying it correctly but then inadvertently
washing it off.
The little buggers hate
it, and I don't care how juicy and/or nice-smelling you are, they're simply not
going to land on you if you apply that correctly and frequently.
Next up, toiletries.
To help not attract the mosquitoes, it's best to use un-fragranced
ones. There's no use wearing something
which effectively negates the lotion. So
that's soap, shampoo & conditioner, antiperspirant and shaving cream.
Because it's not always practical to apply a repellent just
before bed, or one that lasts all night, a plugin has been proven to help. But one that emits a repellent liquid, not an
electronic signal, or high-pitched whine.
They've been shown to be useless.
If and when you are bitten, antihistamine can help stop or
reduce itching. I know that already, but
what I didn't realise is that there are different types of antihistamine, and
that some work better than others when specifically reducing mosquito bite
irritation. Apparently cetirizine is
best. By the way, it's not as effective taking one AFTER you've been bitten - preferably start well in advance of your holiday, As a hay fever sufferer I take one-a-day between March and October anyway.
Finally, when I'm bitten, I find applying AfterBite is a big
help:
It stings like mad for a few seconds, but I always think
that's a good sign. It certainly feels
like it reduces the itching. Again, like
the above, there's plenty of good science behind using it.
Anyway, that's the theory.
In summary:
- Take the antihistamine cetirizine daily.
- Cover exposed skin with a product containing 30% DEET (or
up to 50% if you don't get any adverse reaction).
- Apply an ammonia-based insect bite pen if you're bitten.
- Use a plug in at night.
- Wear un-fragranced toiletries.
I decided to take the lot and see how it went.
Having looked at the science I decided to IGNORE:
- Garlic tablets
- Vitamin B1 and/or B12 supplements
- Marmite
- Plug-ins which emit an electronic signal or noise
- Wrist bands
- Citronella Candles
- Lemon Eucalyptus (Essential) Oil
All have been tested, time and time again, and have been
shown to have absolutely zero benefit. Please note that, whilst Lemon Eucalyptus Oil/Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil are very poor, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus does work - check the labelling carefully.
What I Did
So, what did I do?
Firstly, I switched my daily antihistamine to the Cetirizine. As the effect can be cumulative, I started a
month in advance.
Secondly I switched my toiletries to un-fragranced
ones. Simple Pure Soap. Simple Shampoo and Conditioner. Simple Soothing Antiperspirant. King of Shaves AlphaGel.
Thirdly, I bought a Jungle Formula plugin for the room.
Fourthly, I took to wearing a 50% DEET formula on exposed
skin. Superdrug brand. DEET is DEET, you don't have to pay extra for
a 'named' brand. However, Superdrug's
own brand appears to have been discontinued, so you might have to splash out a
bit more for Jungle Formula. I have now found that Sainsbury's Extra Strength Insect Repellent (50% DEET) is the best value, at only £4 for a 100ml ca, vs £7.49 for Superdrug's Buzz Off and £10 for Jungle Formula at Boots (though that is a slightly larger can, and they sometimes do a 'buy-one-get-one-half-price' deal.
Finally, I carried AfterBite for if/when I was bitten.
The Results
The Results
First night didn't go well, but all my fault. I plugged in my plugin, and checked the light
underneath to ensure it was on. However,
I was unaware that the plug, positioned underneath the room's large, back-lit
mirror, turned on and off with the switch to the backlight. Subsequently, when turning the light off for
the night, I also turned off the plug in. Result - 3 bites on my left hand. I sleep on my right, so it was pretty much
the only exposed part of my skin, other than my face.
From then on, I ensured that the plugin was on every night,
and that I always sprayed exposed areas with DEET before going out. This involved moving it to a different
socket. The unit worked well, but it
became apparent after a few days that it was dripping in to the carpet below,
leaving a stain, so watch out for that.
The result was zero bites * all holiday. Bearing in mind that I'm usually a mosquito
magnet, and used to ending up looking like I've had a bad case of chicken pox
(particularly on my legs) I consider this a triumph.
* Now, the one exception.
On the penultimate day of my holiday I went on a 4x4 jeep trip up into
the mountains. It was during a similar
trip in April on the Crete holiday that I suffered worst. Subsequently I decided to wear a long-sleeved
shirt and long trousers, treated with picaridin. That lasted for 5 minutes, I didn't even
leave the room. Just too warm. So, I applied plenty of DEET, and ensured my
shorts, socks and shirt were covered in a clothing-based repellent.
The results were spectacular. I will not lie, I did receive 1 (one) bite to
my right forearm, but that was it.
Why? I can only guess that I
either missed a bit when applying, or that part of my arm was rubbed at some
point. That aside I was completely
bite-free. I cannot express just how
much this enhanced my holiday.
One more thing. I regularly see people claiming that one of the proven fails (marmite, B12, realigning their chakras) 'works for them'. Without being rude this information is of no use at all, and could be dangerous. Firstly, without a thorough examination and controlled testing, there's really no way to say that the remedy genuinely does work for them. Secondly, even in the unlikely event that it does indeed 'work for them', then if the science says it doesn't work in properly controlled tests, then it's almost certainly not going to work for anyone else, or at best for an extremely small minority. Perhaps that wouldn't matter if we were discussing something else. But if someone is genuinely persuaded to avoid a proven repellent, and instead slops on something shown to NOT work, that could cause a very nasty illness, and is quite likely to result in unnecessary discomfort spoiling your holiday, or at least taking the edge off it. At worst, mosquito-transmitted illnesses can be fatal, and even in relatively low-risk countries like Greece. You might want to Google 'West Nile Virus'. So whilst I'm sure some people mean well, and some perhaps genuinely believe they're passing on helpful information, this really isn't something with which we should be playing a game of chance. No offence intended. Playing heavy metal might help you reduce your headache, but that's no reason to recommend it to others.
In conclusion, I can only say that my experience supported
the research. I thoroughly recommend
that anyone who suffers from mosquitoes follows the expert advice referenced in
this blog. Whilst I've included my own experiences, but ultimately it's the science that counts.
**A word of warning about Avon Skin So Soft. It USED to work. It used to contain picaridin, which is a known, tested mosquito repellent. However, Avon appear to have changed the ingredients, swapping out picaridin, and replacing it with cirtronellol. Now, the latter does have some repellent properties However, effectiveness isn't quite as good as DEET and lasts for a mere 90 minutes, so if you go to the beach at 10:00 and return at 17:00 you're looking at an initial application just before you leave the room, then top ups at 11:30, 13:00, 14:30, and 16:00. That's five applications. That's awkward and time-consuming, the multiple bottles required are bulky, and expensive. Similarly, if you're out for the evening, leaving at 20:00, expect to be topping up at 21:30 and 23:00. In comparison, the lowest strength DEET on the market (if you can find it this week) is around 6-7%, which will last you for 2 hours. 15% DEET is good for 4 hours, and 50% DEET will last you most of the day, and a reapplication all night. That's 2 applications of DEET vs 8 of Avon Skin So Soft. Four times as much.
One 100ml can of DEET will cost you £4 (see above), whilst a 100ml travel bottle of Avon costs £3. But as we've seen, you'll need 4 times as much Avon SSS as DEET so that's £4 for the DEET vs £12 for the Avon, which isn't quite as good anyway.
To be fair to Avon, their site does say that ingredients may change. Please feel free to let me know if you see a change in formulation.
Okay, that's it. But don't take my word for it. Rather than clog up this blog with numerous links, I've kept those elsewhere.
If you want to see the evidence behind all of the above, please follow this link.
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