Hello! My name is Matthew Reedy, and I’m a Doctor here at Trillium Creek Dermatology. I have the pleasure of discussing everyone’s favorite topic, Bed Bugs.
Have you ever worried about bringing bed bugs home from vacation or wondered where you got the itchy bites on your leg from?
Today I’ll be reviewing some information about bed bugs, how to check for them, along with how we at Trillium Creek Dermatology can help treat your bed bug bites.
What do bed bug bites look like? When bed bugs bite, you often see very discrete pink or red papules or bumps. Often times, these are grouped with a few bites that form a linear or straight line pattern. We jokingly refer to this pattern as the breakfast, lunch, and dinner pattern.
How to check for them? A full skin exam can be completed to look for suspicion lesions. You can also look for physical signs of bed bugs in the home. When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying in a hotel look for:
- Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed
- Tiny dark spots may also be seen on the fabric
- Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) pale yellow dots can be a sign
- And finally, live bed bugs can rarely be seen
When not feeding, bed bugs hide in a variety of places. Around the bed, they can be found near seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard.
How can your dermatologist help you? Your dermatologist can help by checking your skin to confirm if your spots in fact appear consistent with bed bug bites. We can treat you with topical or oral medications to ease your itching. A skin biopsy can be performed if needed at times to confirm the diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the ultimate treatment is having an exterminator treat your home and eradicate the infestation.
If you would like additional information, visit TCOhio.com. To schedule an appointment, call us at 330.725.0569 or schedule online. Thank you!
