Why are some people mosquito magnets? This video explains why certain people seem to get devoured by mosquitoes while everyone else gets off almost bite-free, and the answer has surprisingly little to do with your blood type.
In one scientific study, 20% of people ended up with 95% of the mosquito bites. So if you’re always the one scratching your legs while everyone around you remains untouched, you’re not imagining it.
Female mosquitoes use several signals to find us, including carbon dioxide, vision, and body heat. But the biggest difference between occasional victims and true mosquito magnets may be the way your skin smells to a mosquito.
The unique mix of bacteria living on your skin produces different chemicals, and some combinations apparently smell irresistible to mosquitoes. One study found mosquitoes were 100 times more attracted to people whose skin produced high levels of certain carboxylic acids.
Even more interesting, your genes help determine your skin’s bacterial makeup, which may explain why mosquito-magnet status can run in families.
And then there’s the really bizarre part: certain mosquito-borne viruses may actually change the bacteria living on your skin, potentially making you more attractive to mosquitoes and helping the virus find its next host.
So if mosquitoes seem to have singled you out, there may actually be a scientific reason.
You’re not unlucky. You might just smell delicious.