Are these bug bites or an infection?

[pjsnider]

Itchy spots that blister after a few days, weep clear liquid, and take forever to heal! Started with my 15 yr old daughter, next came me, then my 17 yr old, and my son's girlfriend. My husband and son haven't gotten any. this has been going on for months. Doctors have said hives, flea bites, staph, and they just don't know. This doesn't act like a bug bite, no one has seen anything on them, and the blister is small, hard, and the itching don't stop until days after the blister has popped and the sore has wept for days.

[emj84]

We have had this happening to us too! They are a small black insect that comes up out of our plants but also bite us when we are washing cars on the driveway etc. It takes weeks for them to heal and they weep so much when it has first happened that you can't wear pants over them etc. It has been happening to my Dad, older sister (who lives in another suburb) and a cousin of mine.
The only way we have found to prevent it is to wear pants and shoes and socks when you are in your garden. They tend to fly up from the ground so get you mostly around your lower legs.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

This could be an allergic reaction. You should take some oral antihistamine medications for your symptoms and apply calamine lotion at the sites to help soothe the lesions. It would be best to consult with your doctor at the earliest about whether you need a course of steroid medications or any injectables.

Short periods of intense rubbing can cause a blister, but any rubbing of the skin at all can cause a blister if it is continued for long enough. Blisters are most common on the hands and feet, as these extremities are susceptible while walking, running, or performing repetitive motions. Blisters form more easily on moist skin than on dry or soaked skin, and are more common in warm conditions.

Sometimes, the skin can blister when it comes into contact with a cosmetic, detergent, solvent or other chemical; this is known as contact dermatitis. Blisters can also develop as a result of an allergic reaction to an insect bite or sting.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blister

It would be best to consult a doctor if it does not resolve on its own in a few days. If a blister bursts, don't peel off the dead skin on top of the blister. Gently press the area to get rid of all the fluid inside, and then cover the blister and the area around it with a dry, sterile dressing to protect it from infection until it heals.

This could be dyshidrosis.


There are many treatments available for dyshidrosis, however, few of them have been developed or tested specifically on the condition.

    * Topical steroids - while useful, can be dangerous long-term due to the skin-thinning side-effects, which are particularly troublesome in the context of hand dyshidrosis, due to the amount of toxins and bacteria the hands typically come in contact with.
    * Nutritional deficiencies may be related, so addressing diet and vitamin intake is helpful
    * Hydrogen Peroxide - posited as a key alleviating treatment (not a cure) on a popular website, it is used in dilutions between 3% and 27% strength, but side-effects of its use include burning and itching, and there is argument as to whether it only attacks the 'sick cells'.
    * Potassium permanganate dilute solution soaks - also popular, and used to 'dry out' the vesicles, and kill off superficial staphylococcus aureus, but it can also be very painful. Undiluted it may cause significant burning.
    * Domeboro (OTC) helps alleviate itching in the short term.
    * Emollients during the drying/scaling phase of the condition, to prevent cracking and itching.

I suggest you go through the following link and let me know if you have any other doubts or need any other information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyshidrosis

Let us know if you need any other information.

Regards.