A woman with what appears to be a rather painful insect bite has worried social media users, who urged her to seek professional help – but she has now revealed where the odd-looking injury really came from
A woman with a worrying-looking insect bite has been urged to see a doctor by concerned social media users. Taking to Reddit, the holidaymaker showed off the unusual sting, which appeared to have caused her skin to change colour.
Parts of her arm had turned darker than the rest of her skin while other patches appeared lighter. She was quick to ask other users what they thought might be behind the changes to her skin tone and received a variety of responses.
“I’m vacationing in Mexico and got bit by something and got a weird discoloration,” she wrote, alongside a series of snaps of the injury.
And people were quick to speculate about what the bite could be, while demanding the poster went to see a medical professional. One person wrote: “You might want to think about going to a DR. It would be a good idea.”
Another agreed: “Probably wise to see a doctor,” to which the poster wrote: “Ok, thank you. It doesn’t hurt so I didn’t want to make it a big deal for my family but I’ll definitely see a doctor tomorrow.”
The second commenter then responded, eager to share their own experience. “Is it hot to the touch? Has it spread? Do you have a fever? (This happens last). Mine went to 103 within minutes of it starting and I shook really bad, similar to cold chills.
“If you answered yes, I’d be seen in case it is an infection (Cellulitis) that can lead to sepsis. Mine moved fast and I spent 3 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics and they told me it was good thing that I came in when I did. (I was right on the cusp of sepsis within just 24 hours).”
Fortunately, the poster shared an update where they revealed the discolouration actually had a much less sinister cause. “As a couple of people mentioned on this thread that it looked like hyperpigmentation from phytophotodermatitis (when lime juice or other citrus get on your skin and then you are exposed to the sun).
“And I think that’s exactly what happened. 3 days ago I was eating tacos with lime by the pool and some of the juice might have gotten on my arm causing this reaction. Coincidentally I got a mosquito bite right on the same spot which lead me to believe that the discoloration was from said bite. Luckily, the hyperpigmentation doesn’t hurt and I’m feeling quite well.”
According to Brezden Pest Control, the most painful insect bites humans can receive come from the likes of the bullet ant – whose bite is 30 times more painful than a bee sting; hawk wasps; Sydney funnel web spiders, who can kill a human with their bite.
Other creepy crawlies packing a painful bite include the red harvester ant, the paper wasp, the Amazon giant centipede, the yellow jacket and the black widow spider, while the infamous Japanese giant hornet can also do some serious damage.
