How to Cure Niknik (Sand Mite) Bites

I’ve been attacked by a colony of niknik. And it was serious.

Niknik or sand mites are tiny (almost microscopic) creatures that can be found on sandy shores and they survive through decaying plants (including mangroves and seaweeds). Niknik bites are similar to mosquito bites but differ in the gravity of the itching and swelling.

I’ve been bitten once or twice (in Puerto Princesa, Palawan) years back and I just left it as it was ‘coz it posed no harm or whatsoever. My very first encounter was not that disturbing so leaving it that way was quite ok.

And then two months ago, I was attacked by a colony of niknik from my recent trip to Punta Sebaring in Bugsuk Island (Balabac, Palawan). I was checking out the shore and its blindingly white sand  when I noticed some bite marks on my limbs. I was checking it out for about a minute and noticed that the nikniks feasted on my upper thigh area. And then I remembered my first encounter with them and forgot about the marks and carried on with the trip.

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i.hate.niknik

After a few days, the bite marks were swollen and itchy that all I did was to scratch it really hard which probably was the silliest thing I did. Some Palaweños even noticed the marks and advised me to stop my scratching delight and just bear the itch to prevent infection getting through the broken skin. They even told me some steps to alleviate the pain and the treatment afterwards. That was when I really felt the serious danger of my niknik marks.

After the trip, I scurried over the net to check out some effective means to alleviate the itch and to heal the nasty bite marks.  I also heeded some advice from my friends and got these great responses;

Try tea tree oil. At wag kamutin! - Nina

Naku! Ganyan nangyari sa office mate ko as in nagpa-doctor siya with medication. – Jerik

My derma gave me Dermovate ointment when I had it. Don’t use sulphur soap! Apply mo yung ointment twice a day. It will be gone in 3-4 days promise. Apply it in circular motion para ma-absorb ng skin. – Nix

Put honey or virgin coconut oil. Kapag nag-dry na, buy pear then rub sa areas para di magpeklat. – James

Huwag kamutin… - Cecile

Tea tree oil muna pag dry na use “hiruscar”. – Shugah

I’m really glad to have some very helpful friends but I researched some more and found some cheap and effective ways to deal with the situation. First thing was to stop scratching it and just rub it lightly to ease the irritation caused by the itch.

First things first, the bite marks should be dried up for it to heal completely, afterwards, the nitty gritty part of taking care of the dark marks on the skin was next.

Fresh Guava leaves

Guava leaves can help in preventing the spread of bacteria or infection from the bites. What I did was I boiled some freshly picked guava leaves and then waited until the water turns brownish (around 10 minutes). I mixed some lukewarm water into the mixture and soaked the affected area for about 15 minutes. I did this every day for three days and improvements were seen immediately. The niknik bite marks dried up and the itch and swelling were gone.

After the bites were all dried up, it will surely leave some dark marks on the affected area. I have a two-step process in dealing with this problem. First is to put some fresh calamansi on the affected area 5-10 minutes before bath. After bath, put some considerable amount of Sebo De Macho on every mark to moisturize it.

Apply it on the affected area 5-10 minutes before bath.

Nangangamoy sebo de macho na ang kwarto ko!

I’m still doing the ritual of calamansi- sebo de macho every day and I think it works. After two months, the marks were still there but it’s quite ok now compared to what it looked like before. It really is a tedious process but it works for me.

After two months of religiously following the calamansi-sebo de macho tandem

So if you get attacked by these niknik creatures in the future just don’t scratch it and try to follow the steps I did. You can also prevent them feasting your flawless bod by applying insect repellent on your skin. The question is, Should I put sunscreen or insect repellent? Hmmm…