Tick Bite Pictures With Lyme Disease

What If I Dont Get A Rash But Still Feel Super Sick

Fight the Bite: Ticks and Lyme disease

Since you cant always rely on a rash to clue you in, pay attention to other signs of illness you experience after possible exposure. Dr. Mudassar says that tick-borne illnesses can cause fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, muscle pain, and regional lymph node swelling in the early stages of the disease.

Dr. Schrading adds that you might simply have nonspecific viral illness symptoms, like malaise and myalgiaso it helps to consider the time of year youre feeling sick. More people are outside and around ticks in the summer, which isnt flu season, he says. So if youre feeling like you have the flu in the middle of summer, think about whether you could have been exposed to a tick. Noted.

What Precautions Can I Take Against Tick Bites

Avoid wooded, brushy, and grassy areas, especially in May, June, and July.
Wear light-colored clothing so that you can see ticks that get on you.
Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and shoes that cover the entire foot.
Tuck pant legs into socks or shoes, and tuck shirts into pants.
Wear a hat for extra protection.
Spray insect repellent containing DEET on clothes and uncovered skin.
Walk in the center of trails to avoid brush and grass.
Remove your clothing, and wash and dry them at high temperatures after being outdoors.
Do a careful body check for ticks after outdoor activities.

How Is Lyme Disease Treated

Your healthcare provider will figure out the best treatment for you based on:

How old you are

Lyme disease in the earliest stage is usually treated with antibiotics for 2 to 3 weeks.

Treatment will also be considered based on these and other factors:

If you are bitten by a tick that tests positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease
If you are bitten by a tick and have any of the symptoms
If you are bitten by a tick and are pregnant
If you are bitten by a tick and live in a high-risk area

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What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

The list of possible symptoms is long, and symptoms can affect every part of the body. The following are the most common symptoms of Lyme disease. But symptoms are slightly different for each person.

The primary symptom is a red rash that:

Can appear several days after infection, or not at all
Can last up to several weeks
Can be very small or grow very large , and may resemble a “bulls-eye”
Can mimic such skin problems as hives, eczema, sunburn, poison ivy, and flea bites
Can itch or feel hot, or may not be felt at all
Can disappear and return several weeks later

Several days or weeks after a bite from an infected tick, you may have flu-like symptoms such as the following:

Headache
Swollen glands

Weeks to months after the bite, the following symptoms may develop:

Neurological symptoms, including inflammation of the nervous system and weakness and paralysis of the facial muscles
Heart problems, including inflammation of the heart and problems with heart rate
Eye problems, including inflammation

Months to a few years after a bite, the following symptoms may include:

Inflammation of the joints
Neurological symptoms including numbness in the extremities, tingling and pain, and difficulties with speech, memory, and concentration

When To See A Doctor

Anyone who develops a rash or fever in the weeks following a tick bite should contact their doctor.

It can help to make notes about the bite, such as when it occurred and any symptoms that appeared after the bite. Taking pictures of the bite or the tick itself may also assist a doctor with diagnosis.

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Identifying A Tick Bite

Tick bites are often easy to identify. This is because the tick can remain attached to the skin for up to 10 days after it first bites. Most tick bites are harmless and will cause no physical signs or symptoms. Only certain types of ticks transmit disease.

Tick bites are typically singular because ticks dont bite in groups or lines.

Ticks can transmit potentially severe diseases to human hosts. Most signs or symptoms of a tick-borne disease will begin within a few days to a few weeks after a tick bite.

Some diseases that you can contract through a tick bite include:

Lyme disease

How To Safely Remove A Tick

Using fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skins surface as possible.

Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick. Your goal is to remove the entire tick, ideally in one piece, including the mouth parts embedded under the skin.

Thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, and some ticks carry other diseases. To avoid infecting yourself, never crush a tick with your fingers. For more information on the safe removal, disposal and identification of ticks visit CDC.gov/ticks.

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How Do I Remove A Tick

You should know how to remove a tick just in case one lands on you or a friend. To be safe, remove the tick as soon as possible.

If you find a tick:

Use tweezers to grasp the tick firmly at its head or mouth, next to your skin.
Pull firmly and steadily on the tick until it lets go of the skin. If part of the tick stays in your skin, don’t worry. It will eventually come out. But call your doctor if you notice any irritation in the area or symptoms of Lyme disease.
Swab the bite site with alcohol.

Note: Don’t use petroleum jelly or a lit match to kill a tick. They won’t get the tick off your skin quickly enough, and may just cause it to burrow deeper into your skin.

How To Avoid Getting A Tick Bite

Utah mom warns fellow parents about Lyme disease after son’s tick bite

You might be at risk if you live, work in, or visit a wooded area, or an area with tall grasses and bushes .

You may also be at risk if you are involved in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping and gardening.

You may be bitten by a tick and not even know it.

Heres what you can do to avoid getting a tick bite.

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Does Lyme Disease Always Form A Rash

According to the CDC, a rash will form in 70% to 80% of Lyme cases within 30 days of being bit. In % of cases, a rash will form near the site of the tick bite within 30 days. The rash usually doesnt itch and will gradually expand. Its possible that the rash occurs in more cases but simply wasnt noticed. Likewise, it can be very hard for black people and dark-skinned people to notice a Lyme disease rash on their skin.

Its important to realize that Lyme disease rashes dont always look like a bulls eye. If youve been bit by a tick and any sort of rash forms in the days or weeks afterwards, see a doctor!

Also read:

How To Remove A Tick

You can remove the tick yourself with a tick removal tool or with a set of tweezers. Follow these steps:

Grasp the tick as close as you can to your skins surface.

Pull straight up and away from the skin, applying steady pressure. Try not to bend or twist the tick.

Check the bite site to see if you left any of the ticks head or mouth parts in the bite. If so, remove those carefully.

Clean the bite site with water and apply an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, or iodine.

Once youve removed the tick, submerge it in rubbing alcohol to make sure its dead.

Place it in a sealed container. Saving the tick provides evidence of a tick bite for the doctor. It might be a good idea to label the container with the date and location of the bite.

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What Should You Do If You Find A Tick

Don’t touch the tick with your bare hand.
Use a pair of tweezers to remove the tick. Grab the tick firmly by its mouth or head as close to your skin as possible.
Pull up slowly and steadily without twisting until it lets go. Don’t squeeze the tick, and don’t use petroleum jelly, solvents, knives, or a lit match to kill the tick.
Save the tick. Place it in a plastic container or bag so it can be tested for disease, if needed.
Wash the bite area well with soap and water and put an antiseptic lotion or cream on the site.

How You Get Lyme Disease

Beware the Tick Bite: Prevention and Early Signs you may ...

If a tick bites an animal carrying the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, the tick can become infected. The tick can then transfer the bacteria to a human by biting them.

Ticks can be found in any areas with deep or overgrown plants where they have access to animals to feed on.

They’re common in woodland and moorland areas, but can also be found in gardens or parks.

Ticks don’t jump or fly. They climb on to your clothes or skin if you brush against something they’re on. They then bite into the skin and start to feed on your blood.

Generally, you’re more likely to become infected if the tick is attached to your skin for more than 24 hours. Ticks are very small and their bites are not painful, so you may not realise you have one attached to your skin.

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Recognizing The Rash After A Tick Bite

It is important to understand that a rash is not always present or easily recognizable in early Lyme disease, and this can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

Please refer to our poster of varied Lyme disease rash manifestations as a helpful identification tool.

When present, it is wise to take a picture of the rash with the date for your medical record, since a rash compatible with erythema migrans rash should prompt urgent evaluation and treatment. Lyme disease is most successfully treated in this first stage.

If you have a suspicious rash or your symptoms persist, please seek medical care immediately.

The erythema migrans Lyme disease rash is:

Round or oval, enlarges in size over days/weeks, & will not fade in a few days
Usually greater than 2 inches in diameter, often 6-8
Usually uniformly red
Sometimes but not often, a bulls eye rash with a red ring surrounding a clear area and red center
Minimally tender, minimally itchy , and sometimes warm
Often confused with spider bites

The incubation period from tick bite to rash is usually 3-10 days but can be 30 days.

The Lyme rash can spread through the bloodstream to other areas of the skin.

Sometimes blisters develop in the center of the rash.

Tick bite reactions are often confused with the rash of Lyme disease.

Tick bite reactions:

What Does A Lyme Disease Rash Really Look Like These Pictures Explain It

You know the classic bulls-eye rashbut Lyme causes other types, like these.

A telling sign of Lyme disease is a red, circular or oval rash that expands over time like a bulls-eye. Doctors call it erythema migrans. But if youre looking for a bulls-eye pattern and ignoring other types of skin rashes and lesions, youre probably missing an important clue to your diagnosis. Surprise, surprise: relatively few Lyme rashes mimic the concentric circles of a dart board.

The classic target pattern represents just 20% of Lyme-related skin lesions in North America, notes John Aucott, MD, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center.

Eighty percent dont look like that, and they constantly get misdiagnosed as spider or bug bites, he tells Health.

The fact is that Lyme disease rash can present itself in different ways, according to the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. How it appears on your body may depend, in part, on how long youve had it and where it shows up on your body.

Generally, erythema migrans is circular, because it spreads centrifugally from the point of the tick bite, says Dr. Aucott. But it can be more oval or elongated in shape if, for instance, the tick took its blood meal in the groove of your groin.

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What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease can affect different body systems, such as the nervous system, joints, skin, and heart. The symptoms of Lyme disease are often described as happening in three stages. Not everyone with Lyme has all of these, though:

A circular rash at the site of the tick bite, typically within 12 weeks of infection, often is the first sign of infection. It’s considered typical of Lyme disease, but many people never get one.

The rash sometimes has a “bull’s-eye” appearance, with a central red spot surrounded by clear skin that is ringed by an expanding red rash. It also can appear as an growing ring of solid redness. It’s usually flat and painless, but sometimes can be warm to the touch, itchy, scaly, burning, or prickling. The rash may look and feel very different from one person to the next. It can be harder to see on people with darker skin tones, where it can look like a bruise. It gets bigger for a few days to weeks, then goes away on its own. A person also may have flu-like symptoms such as fever, tiredness, headache, and muscle aches.

The last stage of Lyme disease happens if the early stages weren’t found or treated. Symptoms can begin anytime from weeks to years after an infectious tick bite. In kids and teens, this is almost always in the form of arthritis, with swelling and tenderness, particularly in the knees or other large joints.

Seek Medical Care Early To Prevent Lyme Disease From Progressing

Tick Bites & Lyme Disease

Its easy to get bit by a tick and not know it. Most people dont feel a tick on their skin or the bite. Checking your skin for ticks after spending time outdoors can help you find a tick and remove it.

Removing a tick can prevent Lyme disease. A tick must be attached to your skin for at least 36 hours to infect you with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Its not always possible to find a tick, so its important to pay close attention to your skin. If you notice any signs of Lyme disease or develop a rash, get medical care right away. Ticks can cause other serious diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Related AAD resources

ImagesImage 1: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Image Library, Last accessed May 11, 2017.

Images 2, 3, and 7: Used with permission of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 64:619-36.

Image 6: Used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.

ReferencesBhate C and Schwartz RA.

Lyme disease: Part I. Advances and perspectives. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 64:619-36.
Lyme disease: Part II. Management and prevention. J Am Acad Dermatol 2011 64:639-53.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Signs and symptoms of untreated Lyme disease. Page last updated October 26, 2016. Last accessed May 2, 2018.
Lyme disease: transmission. Page lasted updated March 4, 2015. Last accessed May 2, 2018.

What Does A Tick Bite Typically Look Like

The tick bite itself will likely be so small and painless that you wont actually notice it, says Qurat Mudassar, MD, an infectious disease specialist and primary care physician at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. Youll likely only become aware that one of those little buggers has latched onto you if you actually find the tick attached to your skin, or if you develop one of the tell-tale rashes that signals youve been infected with a tick-borne illness.

The hallmark sign of Lyme infection is a rash that resembles a bullseye. , the rash is a localized infection, Dr. Mudassar says. The center may be clear with a red, circular margin outside. This rash may also become itchy or swollen for some people.

Here’s where it gets a little more complicated: Not everyone who develops Lyme disease gets a rash, and even the people that do often dont notice it, Dr. Mudassar says. Plus, the rash can show up on other areas of the body away from the bite site, so it might not raise any red flags.

Lyme Disease Rashes And Look

Circular, expanding rash with target-like appearance.

Expanding rash with central crust

Expanding lesion with central crust on chest.

Expanding erythema migrans

Photo Credit: Reprinted from Bhate C, Schwartz RA. Lyme disease: Part I. Advances and perspectivesexternal icon. J Am Acad Dermatol 2011 64:619-36, with permission from Elsevier.

Description:Early, expanding erythema migrans with nodule.

Multiple rashes, disseminated infection

Early disseminated Lyme disease multiple lesions with dusky centers.

Red, oval plaque

Red, expanding oval-shaped plaque on trunk.

Expanding rash with central clearing

Circular, expanding rash with central clearing.

Bluish hued rash, no central clearing

Bluish hued without central clearing.

Expanding lesion, no central clearing

Expanding lesion without central clearing on back of knee.

Red-blue lesion with central clearing

Red-blue lesion with some central clearing on back of knee.

Insect bite hyper-sensitivity

Large itchy rash caused by an allergic reaction to an insect bite.

Fixed drug reaction

Description:A skin condition that occurs up to two weeks after a person takes a medication. The skin condition reappears at the same location every time a person takes that particular medication.

Ringworm

Description:Ringworm is a common skin infection that is caused by a fungus. Its called ringworm because it can cause a ring-shaped rash that is usually red and itchy with raised edges.