Chiggers :(
6:56 AMWhat is the worst itch you can think of? Mosquitos? Allergies? Heat Rash? Yesterday I had a photoshoot in some tall grasses out in the countryside and nobody remembered to bring the bug spray. Sadly, ever since last night I have been suffering with the worst case of chigger bites! I counted more than 12 bites and the number keeps rising. For those of you who don't know what chiggers are, it is safe to say they are the worst pests you can get bitten from if you hate being itchy! Because I was suffering, I thought I would let you guys know how to prevent and treat exposure to chiggers.
A little background on the bug brings forth the fact that they are tiny bugs barely visible to the eye, but pack a mean punch later on. They are found in the midwest and southern parts of North America so there are probably plenty of you lucky people who have never come across them before. After being "bitten" the resulting "bite" may not show up for 12-24 hours later but when it does, MAN DOES IT ITCH! I actually only got 3 hours of sleep last night because the itch woke me up. They also find barriers or "edges" on you to bite, so if you notice itchy bites along your armpits or underwear, bra, pant, or sock line it was probably a chigger. Okay, enough with the bad stuff. Here's how to not get bitten, and what to do if you do get bitten!
Prevention:
1. Avoid tall grass, brush, and wooded areas. Keep grass short in your own property.
2. If you must venture into these untamed environments, wear BUG SPRAY with DEET on your clothes!
3. Wear clothes with tightly woven fabrics that cover your body and don't leave many holes for exposure. Tucking jeans into boots or pants into socks helps.
4. Immediately wash yourself and any exposed clothing as soon as you get home in hot, soapy water.
I have been bitten! Oh precious skin, what do I do?!
1. Don't scratch! This will only aggrivate the irritation and lead to a break in the skin which can cause infection.
2. Contrary to popular belief, the chigger doesn't actually bury itself under the skin so applying clear nailpolish and similar remedies are actually not suffocating the bug. Instead, make sure you shower as soon as possible after exposure.
3. Apply an anti-itch medication. Hydrocortizone works well, or you can also take an oatmeal bath.
4. You can take a Benadryl but I prefer not to during the day because it will knock you out!
5. Wait it out. The itch will probably last up to two weeks and if you are already bit, there is not much more you can do. It's definitely best to prevent bites in the first place!
Anyway, here's to keeping you from suffering like I did, and a couple pics from the shoot to decide... Was it worth it? :P
15 comments
LOL I thought you meant chiggers as in Asian guys who pretend to be black. Needless to say I was a bit confused if it was just sarcasm or not.
ReplyDeleteI'm a stranger. I ran to your blog while searching "beautiful shooting stars" and saw your nails pop up! :D I just read this most recent post. Ouch!! Oh God those chiggers are scary! Hope your bites go away soon! You got some beautiful pics, so it was def worth it! :) Looking forward to reading other of your blogs. :) TAKE CARE!~
ReplyDeleteyou have a big ol' korean face ;) cute! what are these pictures for?
ReplyDeleteooo those pics are amazing. i espcially love the last one. it's more intense than the other pics
ReplyDeleteThe photoshoot was awesome! You were gorgeous as always.
ReplyDeletewhoa? so are u officially like a model now?
ReplyDeleteomg dear..that's so sad, hope you feel better soon..i searched some pictures of those nasty things on google, and omg..i got goosebumps just by looking at them! the chigger bites looked freakingly nasty..omg..im sorry to hear that..but anyway,the pictures look GREAT!
ReplyDeleteanonymous1: haha! yeah, other people have told me that! Nope, I'm not being derogatory, just itchy. :P
ReplyDeletenoemi: wooo! It's always fun to hear where people find my blog from. what a cute way to have found me! Thank you... I'll try to think about that when I am feeling particularly itchy.
anonymous2: HA! Yeah, I do look pretty Korean. My aunts and cousins all say I have a small face and don't want to stand next to me in pics because of it! Silly. They are just for whatever I guess. Building my modeling portfolio. :)
Lynn: That's my favorite one too! Thank you!
cinciallegra: aw, thank you. I'll have to tell the photographer that. it was all him! :D
chitah: nah, i'm just doing this for fun. I appreciate the art and I think I might get into photography soon, when I can afford to buy myself a camera.
miemiemie: oooh, the pictures on google are the worst! Mine look more like mosquito bites than the little red bumps though. Maybe I am just more allergic. >_<
Yikes, look at that grass, they were having a hayday!!! lol :(
ReplyDeleteWas it worth it? Um...I don't know. I know how itchy bites are and they SUCK (yes, so much worse than the typical mosquito bite). I have gotten extremely bad flea bites before which are like chigger bites.
I hope you feel better soon and thanks for the tips...although I wouldn't recommend hydrocortisone. They can cause severe reaction on some people. Benedryl Cream is a lot better and more effective in my opinion.
jen
ReplyDeleteyou mentioned before that you took a combo of acne medication plus topical creams to clear up your skin- which medication did you take?
Thanks!
jen
ReplyDeletehow do you stay so slim? do you workout? how tall are you and how much do you weigh?
you are gorgeous! are you a model?
ReplyDeleteJen you're just too gorgeous. Your facial features are just flawless. Especially your nose. :D You're a gorgeous model. I think you'd be successful. Going to try to model in Korea?
ReplyDeletePS. I have been faithfully reading your blogs for a few months now. Just because I don't comment doesn't mean I'm not reading! :)
lili: I've used both, but cortizone ointment worked pretty well for me this time. No reactions!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I'll do a topic on my skin regimen soon to explain everything soon. :)
Sora: haha! every girl needs to keep some secrets right? I work out occasionally although I like to stay consistently healthy in terms of what I eat and drink. I'm around 4'10 or 11" and I'm quite slender but I love to eat. Maybe I will do a post on food and drink health soon too!
nikki: not a professional! I'm just doing it for fun right now. :)
Julie: I haven't decided how far I want to pursue modeling but we never know where life will take us. Thanks for reading so much and I'm very glad you decided to comment. It means a lot to me. ;)
i hope those bites get better! those photos are gorgeous (esp. the last one) and in my opinion they're worth it.
ReplyDeleteif you want to know where i found this from, it was soompi. btw, really nice everyday glow tutorial.
keep taking pictures like that! (with bug spray) they're beautiful!