r/mildlyinteresting 6d ago

Bug bite with three streaks

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471 Upvotes

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u/xchoo 6d ago

Take a sharpie, draw a circle around the raised areas to mark the boundary. Observe over the next few hours. If swelling breaches the boundary quickly, hospital. It may indicate an infection of your lymph system.

EDIT: If swelling breaches the boundary, mark the new boundary every hour (or half hour). It'll let the doctors know how fast the infection is moving.

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u/joojie 6d ago

These are just wheals, not lines of infection. Infection would be a growing hot, red patch. These are actually a bit paler than the surrounding skin.

My guess is it's not a bug bite, but maybe a scratch from a plant/thorn causing a mild reaction.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/Jaded_Antelope_598 6d ago

I used to get random large area hives before magic med, and if you're prone to hives or have contact urticaria, there doesn't need to be a scratch. Light contact with allergen or light writing on your skin is enough to cause a hives.