I Get Eaten Alive by Mosquitoes. This Tiny Heat Device Burns My Skin but Stops the Itch.

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(Photo: Beurer; Design: Ayana Underwood/Canva)

I’m never more annoying than when I have a bug bite. Unfortunately for those around me, I typically have bug bites from April through October.

You see, I’m one of those people who’s irresistibly attractive to mosquitoes. They flock to me, likeOdysseus’s men to the sirens, or kids to an overpriced slime experience.Whether it’s my type A positive blood, my mostly pescatarian diet, or just my sweet, sweet pheromones, I’ll never know. What I do know is that even with enough mosquito repellent to set off a biohazard alarm in a toxic waste facility, I constantly have a constellation-like scattering of angryred welts across my arms and legs.

This chronic condition has led me to explore all sorts ofweird, wacky solutionsto the itches that constantly plague me. Most “hacks,” quite frankly, do not work. Cold compresses and ice packs only provide temporary relief and aren’t practical to tote with you. TheBug Bite Thing suction tooldoesn’t work for me, because I never know when or where I’ve been bitten until well after the fact. Anti-itch cream isn’t strong enough, antihistamines don’t seem to be effective, and simply scratchingaroundthe bug bite just covers me in bright red claw marks.

The only thing that’s worked for me is what my best friend calls “hot spooning:” taking a mug of very hot water, dipping a metal spoon in it, and pressing the back of the spoon against my bug bite for several seconds. Yes, reader, thatisessentially burning myself. But the brief pain of a hot spoon is infinitely better than me waking up in the middle of the night, driven mad by itching.

By the way, if you’re also someone who feels itchier at night, you’re probably not imagining it. A2016 paperpublished in theInternational Journal of Molecular Sciencesstated that cortisol naturally rises and falls throughout the day in alignment with our circadian rhythms and decreases at night. Cortisol is a hormone naturally produced by the adrenal glands, and ithelps reduce inflammationin the body. Because cortisol may suppress somecytokines(tiny proteins in your cells) that cause itching, less cortisol production can mean more late-night itching.

But like the ice pack, a piping hot mug of water and a spoon aren’t especially portable remedies for my summertime woes. Last year, I discovered the high-tech, just-as-effective version of hot spooning: theBeurer BR60, a tiny thermal device that zaps the itch right out of your skin.

Beurer BR60 Mosquito Bite Itch Remover Device

How the BR60 Bug Bite Itch Remover Works

TheBR60(OK, the name could use some work) is a handheld tool about the size of an Apple TV remote. It only has one ON/OFF switch and one giant button, and it requires just two AAA batteries to operate. It’s incredibly simple to use: switch on, then press the giant button once for a three-second program or twice quickly for a six-second program. A tiny ceramic plate (perfectly sized for bug bites) heats up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Press the plate against your bug bite until the device beeps, and repeat as necessary.

Let’s deal with the obvious: Holding a 122-degree ceramic plate to your skin doesn’t feel great. In fact, it burns! It’s tolerable, but you’ll wince a bit, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for children.

But the brief burst of extreme heat works:one large, real-world studyshowed that applying concentrated, localized heat to aninsect bitesignificantly relieves itch and pain—fast. Around 1,750 people used a smartphone-controlled heat device to treat around 12,000 insect bites. The results: mosquito bite itch dropped 57 percent within the first minute of treatment and 81 percent within five to ten minutes, a significantly better result than a no-treatment control group. (Heads up that two of the authors of the study are affiliated with the company that makes the heat device, but it was a randomized controlled trial with a real control group.)

As far as the “why” behind the burn, the study’s authors believe that it’s because the painful stimulus of the burn suppresses the itch, overriding the itchiness signal the nerves are sending to your brain. I’m not a woman in STEM, but I get the gist behind what they’re saying: a brief burn hurts, but in a better way than a chronic itch.

I’m Obsessed with This Tiny, Torturous Device

These days, I’m never without myBR60. I give thanks to the German engineers who invented this device every morning when I wake up, and every evening when I tally up the day’s damage. I take a perverse pleasure in spending ten minutes a day “treating” my various bites and stings, knowing that pain is temporary, but itch-free glory is forever. In fact, I’ve reached the Chapstick phase of my relationship with the BR60: I have one for each purse, each home, and each car.

I still wearmosquito repellent, but the buggers are determined to get me. When they do, I’ll have the BR60 on hand to erase any lingering evidence of their handiwork. And as a bonus, my loved ones don’t have to deal with me constantly complaining about how itchy I am or how many bug bites I have at any given moment. It’s a win for everyone—except the mosquitoes.

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