Summer Skin Risks: Sunburn, Bug Bites & Poison Ivy
Which of these bugs can carry diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever?
Ticks can attach to you as you brush past grass and plants. They don''t always carry diseases, and most bites aren''t serious, but they can carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Bites can also trigger allergic reactions. Prevent bites by keeping arms, legs, and head covered in grassy areas and use tick repellant.
Which one of these sea creatures causes intense pain, rash and welts, as well as possible vomiting and muscle spasms?
A jellyfish sting may cause intense pain, rash and welts, and may progress to vomiting and muscle spasms. Severe reactions can cause difficulty breathing, coma, and death. Box jellyfish stings require immediate medical care. Flood the area with vinegar and keep still until help arrives.
Which one of these plants is poisonous?
Contact with sap from poison ivy causes a rash in most people with redness and swelling followed by intense itching. Blistering appears within hours or days and can last up to two weeks. Prescription or over-the-counter medication may soothe the itching. For a severe rash, oral cortisone may be given. If infection occurs, antibiotics may be necessary.
Which one of these snakes has a venomous bite?
Bite symptoms may include severe burning pain at the bite site, swelling, weakness, trouble breathing, and changes in heart rate. Bite severity depends on many factors, including the amount of venom injected, bite location, and a person''s age and health. Seek immediate medical care if you think you''ve been bitten by a venomous snake.
Brown Recluse vs. Black Widow: Whose bite packs a bigger sting?
Usually painless, the venom is extremely poisonous (more potent than that of a rattlesnake). Symptoms of itching, nausea, vomiting, fever, and muscle pain occur 2-8 hours after a bite. May cause serious wounds and infection causing blistering blue discoloration, leading to destructive necrotic lesions with deep wide borders and scarring. Seek immediate medical care!
Which form of footwear offers little protection from poisonous plants, cuts and bites?
They may be fun and fashionable, but flip-flops offer little protection against stubbed toes, glass cuts, puncture wounds, or having a heavy object smash your foot. Another danger: insect and snake bites.
Which of the summer pests pictured below has a painless bite?
Chiggers are tiny mites found in tall grass or weeds. They attach to skin with their claws and feed on skin cells. Their bites are painless and after a few days chiggers fall off the skin, leaving very itchy red welts. Over-the-counter products can help relieve the itch, but see a doctor if your skin appears infected or the welts spread.
Which of these flying insects is the annual summer stinger known as the common bee?
Bees tend to have a hairy appearance, round-shaped body and are mild mannered. Most bee stings are mild, causing minor swelling, pain and itching. Remove the stinger, clean sting site, apply ice, and take an oral antihistamine. Severe allergic/anaphylactic reactions can occur requiring immediate medical care.
Which condition below is considered a 2nd degree sunburn?
Skin that is red, painful, swells up and blisters may mean that deep skin layers and nerve endings have been damaged resulting in a second-degree burn. This type of sunburn is usually more painful and takes longer to heal.
Excessive exposure to the summer sun can cause which skin cancer depicted here?
Excessive exposure to sunlight is the main cause of skin cancer. Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) rays that can alter the genetic material in skin cells, causing mutations. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma have been linked to chronic sun exposure as has melanoma.
Which of these summer activities resulted in more emergency room injuries related to burns?
An estimated 9,200 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2006 for injuries related to fireworks. Most injuries involved the hands, eyes, head, face, and ears. Burns were the most common injury.
Images provided by:
1.1 iStockPhoto / Rolf Aasa
1.2 iStockPhoto / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
2.1 iStockPhoto / Ingmar Wesemann
2.2 iStockPhoto / David Safanda
3.1 iStockPhoto / Ruud de Man
3.2 iStockPhoto / Ruud de Man
4.1 iStockPhoto / kevdog818
4.2 iStockPhoto / Mark Kostich
5.1 iStockPhoto / Clint Spencer
5.2 iStockPhoto / Mark Kostich
6.1 iStockPhoto / Nathan Jones
6.2 iStockPhoto / Iztok Grilc
7.1 iStockPhoto / Scott Harms
7.2 iStockPhoto / Luc Viatour
8.1 iStockPhoto / Arlindo71
8.2 iStockPhoto / Arlindo71
9.1 iStockPhoto / Alberto Pomares
9.2 iStockPhoto / Mr. Jamsey
10.1 "Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology"; Klaus Wolff, Richard Allen Johnson, Dick Suurmond; Copyright 2005, 2001, 1997, 1993 by The McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights reserved.
10.2 Color Atlas & Synopsis of Pediatric Dermatology Kay Shou-Mei Kane, Jen Bissonette Ryder, Richard Allen Johnson, Howard P. Baden, Alexander Stratigos Copyright 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.
11.1 iStockPhoto / Sean Locke
11.2 iStockPhoto / Orchard Point Studios
Sources:
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Tick Bites - Topic Overview."
eMedicineHealth: Insect Bites
eMedicineHealth: Jellyfish Stings
eMedicineHealth: Stingray Sting
National Parks Service: English Ivy
eMedicineHealth: Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac
National Park Service: Milk Snake
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Snakes and Lizard Bites: Topic Overview."
eMedicineHealth: Brown Recluse Spider Bite
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Black Widow Spider Bite Topic Overview."
WebMD Feature: "Flip-Flops Fun but Beware of Foot Pain."
MedTerms: Fire Ants
WebMD: Summer Skin Hazards Slideshow
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Insect Bites and Bee Stings and Spider Bites: Topic Overview." Source: National Biological Information Infrastructure
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise:: Sunburn: Topic Overview"
eMedicine: Spitz Nevus
WebMD Medical Reference: Understanding Skin Cancer - the Basics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: "Fireworks-Related Injuries."
U.S. Fire Administration, Department of Homeland Security, FEMA
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