Tick Bite Rash

tick bite rash



Tick bite rash...

It is well known that deer tick bites can cause lyme disease and the symptoms of lyme disease can include rashes appearing on the legs, neck, face, underarm, stomach and/or groin - but it depends where you were bitten.

The dreaded allergic reaction like the bullseye rash can appear in childhood & adulthood and it is vital that you or your children get treatment as early as possible as lyme disease is best caught during the early stages.

It is currently estimated that 70% of lyme disease cases are due to bites occurring during the early stage in the deer tick life cycle when the parasite is still a nymph.

Check out the photo below to see what a nymph looks like close up.

N.B. Remember that scabies is very differrent to lyme disease and is not caused by a tick or even a flea. This nasty skin infection is caused by the sarcoptes scabei mite and can be seen in humans and dogs.

tick bite rash

The Deer Tick Nymph

Tick Bite Rash

The Facts.
  • A tick bite rash normally will normally appear a few days after being bitten, but it can also take weeks to appear.
  • The pink or red rash that appears around the bite is known as erythema migrans.
  • Sometimes after being bitten you may get what is known as a bullseye tick bite rash. Check out the picture below.
  • The rash can quickly spread until it is the size of 20-30 cms or 20-30 inches. if you don't get medical attention fast.
  • You can still have lyme disease without the rash - this very important to remember. as in 30% of cases of lyme disease there is no rash.
  • The rash can sometimes be really red and sometimes quite faint.
  • It can be quite itchy and painful where you have been bitten.
  • A rash that has appeared after a few hours is not always a case of lyme disease but more commonly an allergic reaction from what are common skin organisms.
  • If you develop symptoms such as high fever, joint pains, muscle aches, tiredness, headaches you really need to get medical advice and fast. These tick bite symptoms can be treated quite effectively with antibiotics.

The BullseyeTick Bite Rash

tick bite rash
  • The bullseye rash as shown in the photo above is often caused by the deer tick and has a distinct appearance of having the round circular appearance with the bullseye in the middle.
  • The bullseye rash can vary greatly in size and appearance.
  • The rash can appear in more than one place at a time on the same person.
Thanks to Jim Wilson and John Moran for the use of the pictures. If you are after more advice, check out their websites at www.canlyme.com and John's excellent website here.





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