And your grandma was right when she warned you to leave those bites alone. Dr. Rogers says scratching "can make the bites itchier, and create scarring, which can lead to pigmentation changes or the formation of a permanent bump." Instead, the best thing to do is press an ice pack on your bites, she says. "Your nerves cannot feel cold and itch at the same time," so it'll quell the itch, and won't make the bites any worse, she says. If you're really miserable, you could also try using a 1% hydrocortisone cream a couple times a day until the bite subsides, or taking an antihistamine like Zyrtec or Allegra for a week if you're having an outsize reaction, Dr. Rogers says. As a last resort, she recommends just covering a bite you're too tempted to scratch with a Band-Aid, and hope it's out of sight, out of mind.