Pls help me..Bug Bite and then Bruises (Picture)

[YveC]

Last Sunday I was home and was bit on my arm and on my thigh. I am not sure what i was bit by but i thought it was a mosquito bite. There were one bite on my arm and three bites on my thigh, the bumps were small at first and weren't really bothering me until about 2 days later. The bump on my arm was swollen and painful when pressed for 2 days or so but is now healed.

But am having problems with the three bites i got on my thigh. They were swollen to the size of a potato on Tuesday. They were incredibly itchy and i did scratch it a bit, but i continue to put on Cortizone cream and it seems to help. I also took Benadryl. On Thursday, they weren't as swollen anymore and the itch has gone much better. However, the three bites turned to bruises and they were very purplish with a lot of small red dots around and on them (almost looked like i was beat up/punched badly).  Today the brusies seem to have also started to go away and this monrnig the bruises looked yellowish. The itch is not too bad unless i start touching/scratching it.

However, my thigh is now left with a big dark red area that looks like a birth mark from far away. I am really scared of it never going away. What do i need to do now? Please help me .....

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It looks like an insect or an arthropod bite. You can take some antihistaminic like benadryl or Claritin. Although the bite may be itchy, avoid scratching it because you may damage the skin, and allow bacteria to get in, leading to infection. Continue using the steroids that your doctor has prescribed.

However get an examination done from a dermatologist to rule out any tick bites which may later progress to Lyme’s disease.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[aannie12334]

wow that does not look to comfy! it could be an allergic reaction to something that bit you like a spider or some other ugly little bug!. im assuming you have been bitten by mosquitoes before, my nephews are allergic to their bites and they will swell up like this! i remember once one of them had been bitten by a mosquito and it swelled up and started pussing up and it was quite nasty. i would suggest seeing a doctor right away if it is not showing any signs of recovery w/in a couple more days! best of luck ! keep me posted!

[YveC]

Also, although the picture looks like it's red skin patch, but actually the red area is not raised, it just has a lot of red dots on it.