A red circle after a mosquito bite can be a harmless reaction. However, if you are feeling badly and have other symptoms, you should have the bite examined medically. You should keep this in mind.
Mosquito bites are a big nuisance, especially in summer when you spend a lot of time outside. A red circle forming around the mosquito bite is a common symptom. The circle occurs because the blood vessels dilate as a result of the puncture. This means that the area of skin is supplied with significantly more blood than normal. The circular spot often begins to itch quickly and swells into a wheal. The red circle also feels warmer than the rest of the skin.
Large red circles are typical for bee stings or wasp stings. After a short time, however, this goes back again. If you have been bitten by a horsefly or blackfly, the red circle around the puncture site is usually smaller. Red spots around mosquito bites usually disappear within 24 hours.
Red circle around mosquito bite: This is what you need to pay attention to
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Ingoldfranziska)
A red circle around the mosquito bite is a normal reaction and is harmless in most cases. As dermatologist Uta Schlossberger explains to the Editorial Network Germany (RND), you don’t need to have the bite clarified medically first. The following tips and home remedies can help with a red spot:
- Under no circumstances should you scratch a mosquito bite if it itches. This irritates the skin even more and the itching becomes more severe. Instead of scratching, use this trick with the tip of a knife and hot water when itching:
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Cooling helps. This is especially true if the red circle around the insect bite is already swollen. The cold constricts the blood vessels again and the red spot gradually disappears.
- Aloe vera and plantain can also reduce itching.
If you don’t want to be annoyed by a red spot on your skin, you can of course drive away the mosquitoes. A fly screen, for example, can prevent mosquito bites from the outset.
Red circle after mosquito bite: When you should have it checked medically
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Erik_Karits)
If the red circle around the mosquito bite does not disappear within a day and other symptoms appear, you should take action. This also applies if the red spot is larger than ten centimeters. It is often better to see a doctor. This is particularly true in the following cases:
- If, in addition to the insect bite, you experience headaches, nausea, fever or a general feeling of illness, it could be due to a mosquito bite allergy.
- If the red circle only appears days later and continues to spread outwards, it could be the symptom of a tick bite. The so-called wandering redness, which becomes larger and larger, can occur even weeks after the bite and a Lyme disease infection. Symptoms such as facial paralysis, swollen lymph nodes and body aches can also indicate Lyme disease.
- Although it is rare, a mosquito bite can also cause erysipelas. This causes your lymph nodes to swell, the skin around the bite becomes tight and looks bright red. Symptoms such as chills, fever or nausea also occur. Erysipelas occurs when A streptococci penetrate your skin through minor injuries, such as a mosquito bite. With early treatment, erysipelas can heal quickly and well.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
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- Bed bug bites: detect and treat bites
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