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Definition of Lichtenberg figures
Medically reviewed by Dr. Otari Nergadze, Neurosurgeon | Updated: January 2026
Lichtenberg figures: A fern-leaf pattern of reddish, painless marks on the skin that are a result of a skin reaction to a lightning strike. The pattern typically vanishes in a few hours or days.
Lichtenberg figures are named after Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, a German physicist, who described similar patterns in 1777, while experimenting with static electricity.