Bedbugs are reddish brown, oval and flat insects that are about the size of an apple seed. They are most common in hotels, hospitals and homeless shelters, and hide in cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames during the daytime hours. The National Institutes of Health states that a bedbug bite results in a colorless welt that causes burning and itching at the site. But the Mayo Clinic says there is no evidence that bedbugs transmit diseases to people. The bites can be treated at home.
Hydrocortisone
The Mayo Clinic notes that a person can use skin cream with hydrocortisone to speed the recovery of bedbug bites that commonly heal in one to two weeks. It's an over-the-counter steroid skin cream. The steroid in the medication reduces the inflammatory reaction of the immune system. A person should apply this medication as directed on the label. Also, he should see his doctor if the bedbug bites have not improved or have worsened after seven days hydrocortisone skin cream treatment.
Diphenhydramine
A person can use diphenhydramine to treat bedbug bites, states the Mayo Clinic. Diphenhydramine is an oral antihistamine that blocks the chemical signal, histamine, that the body releases in response to bedbug bites. Histamine increases itching, swelling and redness around the bites. But diphenhydramine may cause excessive drowsiness. A person should use caution when driving or operating other heavy machinery.
Home Extermination
In order to treat the patient, a professional exterminator needs to treat the home to prevent future bites. He may use a combination of non-chemical treatments and pesticides to rid the home of bedbugs. The exterminator will vacuum cracks and crevices in the bedroom, and he may use steam to kill bedbugs. The tenant should wash clothes and bedsheets in hot water of 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) to kill bedbugs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Additionally, he should dry clothes in a dryer set at medium to high heat to kill bedbugs and their eggs.
