Dr. Abdulaziz AlRashed — Consultant Dermatologist, Cosmetic & Laser
Insect Bites & Papular Urticaria in Children
A patient advice sheet — 8 practical points. Reviewed and updated by Dr. Abdulaziz AlRashed, July 2026.
Last reviewed: July 2026
The advice
- Papular urticaria is a child's exaggerated reaction to bites of mosquitoes, fleas or bedbugs: intensely itchy bumps appearing in recurrent crops.
- Key reassurance: one child being affected while the rest of the family is not is completely normal (their personal sensitivity) — it is not an infection or a blood disease.
- Find and treat the source: window screens and nets, an age-appropriate repellent, flea treatment for pets, and a bed check for bedbugs (mattress seams, bites in a row of three).
- In the evening and outdoors: light, long, pale sleeves, and no fragranced products on the child's skin.
- Treat the itch: the prescribed cream and an antihistamine, and keep nails short — scratching causes infection and scars.
- Dark marks after bites fade over months.
- The sensitivity gradually settles as the child grows.
- See us for: large blisters, signs of infection (pus, spreading redness), or general symptoms after bites.
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