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3 reasons why you get more mosquito bites than others, explained by dermatologist
Have you ever wondered why mosquitos are more attracted to some people? After sitting in the same place, you are covered in itchy bites while your friend has none at all.
A dermatologist has explained that there are some scientific reasons why some are ‘mosquito magnets’ and others aren’t – and it all comes down to the unique way your body is made up.
Why some get more mosquito bites
Speaking on TikTok, Dr. Toral Vaidya explained that one of these three things could be making you more attractive to the pesky insects.
1. Body odor
Firstly, your body odor plays a big part – and that doesn’t mean smelling good or smelling bad. Everyone has a unique chemical composition that gives you a certain smell. Our sweat contains something called carboxylic acid and some studies have shown that mosquitos are attracted to this. So, people with more of this acid in their body odor are more appealing.
2. Temperature
Mosquitoes are also known to be attracted to heat, which is why they come out when the weather is hot and humid. Due to this, people with a higher body temperature are more prone to getting bitten too. Research has shown that women tend to have a slightly higher core body temperature than men, and pregnant women are even hotter.
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3. Carbon dioxide
Finally, research reveals that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide that humans emit too. We all breathe out the gas every day, but some people put out more carbon dioxide than others, making them more appealing to the insects. This includes those who are working out, pregnant or drinking alcohol, Pfizer explains.
How to prevent mosquito bites
Some people may be more tasty to the bugs than others, but everyone can take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.
MedlinePlus recommends using an insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when you go outdoors. Make sure that the repellent has one of these ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol.
Covering up will also help, so it’s a good idea to wear long sleeves, pants and socks when outdoors. However, mosquitoes can bite through thin fabric so you should also spray thin clothing with an insect repellent.
Mosquito-proof your home by installing screens on windows and doors and regularly empty stagnant water from your backyard as these are mosquito breeding sites. For example, water in flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers and birdbaths. Certain plants can help to keep mosquitos at bay too.
Only female mosquitos bite people. They pierce the skin using a part of the mouth called the proboscis to suck up blood. As the mosquito is feeding, it injects saliva into your skin. They then use this blood meal to produce eggs which they lay in water.
Mosquito bites are a normal part of life and only result in itchy bumps for most people which go away after a few days. However, they can cause allergic reactions and anaphylaxis in some, a life-threatening allergic reaction which causes difficulty breathing.
They can can also spread serious diseases to humans including malaria, dengue fever, Zika virus, West Nile Virus (WNV), and Chikungunya virus. This is more of a problem in Africa, but many of these disease-spreading mosquitos are moving across the world due to climate change.
One town in Massachusetts has introduced a night-time curfew after a case of the rare mosquito cirus eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was detected in the state. Public parks and fields in Plymouth will be closed between dawn and dusk as this is when mosquitos are most active.
Dr. Toral Vaidya (MD, MPH) is a medical and cosmetic Dermatologist based in New York City. She completed her dermatology residency at Weill Cornell Medicine & Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and treats patients on the Upper East Side and in Midtown Manhattan at MDCS Dermatology.
