I visit Germany regularly. I don’t know what it is about my Irish skin, but mosquitos absolutely adore me. Maybe it’s my Guinness-cured skin, but I get at least 4 or 5 bites per trip and they are massive bites. Usually I suffer on in pain quietly enough, but a family member recommended the Bite Away. This is a €22 device available at the likes of Rossmann nationwide and on Amazon that relieves the pain of a mosquito bite, with one catch.
What is the Bite Away?
The Bite Away is the second version of a small pen-sized AAA-battery powered device designed to do one job; reduce the pain of mosquito bites.
The Bite Away is a German-made product with a tiny ceramic plate that gets heated to 51 degrees Celsius. You place the tiny plate directly onto your bite location. Now, you choose either a short or long treatment. The Bite Away then heats to 51 degrees Celsius and remains at that heat for 3 or 5 seconds.
And that’s the catch. Yes, you have to keep the plate on the bite on your skin for this to work.
Depending on where you’ve received the mosquito bite, it can be quite uncomfortable feeling this temperature. But it’s absolutely worth it for how well this works. I’ve been using this on about 5 bites I’ve received over a week and can’t believe the relief it gets. Sure enough, there’s a few seconds of pain but the itching then immediately disappears for a good few hours, or at least until I rub the bite and stimulate it again.
How Does the Bite Away Insect Bite Pen Work?
It’s time for some science. The Bite Away depends on a few principles to relief itching from an insect bite.
First of all, mosquito bites cause an immune response to the insect’s saliva, which contains proteins that trigger itching and inflammation. Applying heat like the Bite Away does can break down these proteins and reducing the impact they have on you.
Next up is the itching. The itching from a mosquito bite is largely due to histamine released in the skin. It’s all part of the body’s natural allergic response. Heat, like that from the Bite Away, can speed up the breakdown of histamine in the area, reducing the sensation of itching. Some have used heated spoons in the past to get the same result, but this is a lot less controlled and dangerous for the skin.
To a lesser extent, heat can temporarily overload the nerve endings in the skin. When the skin is heated, the sensation of warmth can overpower the itching signals sent by the nerves, effectively reducing the sensation of itching. This is much like when you have a tooth ache, stubbing your toe can make you forget that for a while!
Finally, applying heat increases blood circulation in the area, which can help reduce swelling and help the mosquito bite get through what it does in general a little faster.
Bite Away: The Verdict
A family member had one of these. I used it and was astonished at how well it worked. So much so, I bought my own immediately. For the small price of €22 in Rossmann I can now instantly relieve the pain of mosquito bites.
I’ve explained the science behind it, but most importantly I’ve got a week of first hand experience using the Bite Away. As I write this, it’s sitting on the couch beside me waiting for it’s next mission. I can’t see myself going on any sort of a trip where insects are known bandits without the Bite Away.
