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Itchy and scratchy: why doesn't a mosquito bite stop being itchy?

24 July 2019

When we feel itchy, a scratch brings instant relief. But when the itch is caused by a mosquito bite, scratching increases the irritation. Why the difference?

Peter Slessenger, Reading, UK

After a mosquito bite, a tight blister can form over the puncture wound made by the insect and tension in the skin causes the pain. Scratching will only distress the traumatised skin even more.

Some time ago, I experimented bursting one of a pair of mosquito bite blisters and leaving the other to heal naturally. The burst blister stopped itching immediately and healed a day earlier than the one left to its own devices. Bursting a blister does increase the risk of infection, however.

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