How to differentiate between shingles, herpes zoster and the damage caused by ants

Mistaking the lesions for shingles, herpes zoster, and ants, and arbitrarily buying and applying too much medicine to get well quickly, can lead to very harmful consequences.

Many people have suffered serious injuries due to mistaking the bite of the 3-cavity ant for shingles, "herpes zoster", plus they bought topical medications and treated themselves according to folk remedies, causing the injury to become deeply ulcerated. As a result, the treatment takes a long time, sometimes more than 1 month, and also leaves a very unsightly dark spot for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately identify the injury to treat it effectively.

Shingles:It is a skin burn caused by organic phosphoric acid from the shingles insect, causing redness, swelling, and burning. The location of the rash varies, but it heals after only 5-7 days.

Shingles lesions.

Herpes zoster:Often found in people who have had chickenpox (due to the chickenpox virus reactivating, causing damage to the sensory nerves under the skin, causing redness, itching, pain, and white pus on the skin). The location of appearance is usually only on one side of the body such as the back, face...

Herpes zoster lesions.

The first symptoms of shingles are:

- Sudden sharp pain along the nerve on one side of the body (where the skin is about to be damaged), local itching, burning, severe pain.

- Large blisters with a concave center, or growing in clusters of blisters, very characteristic, appear on one side of the body, gradually spread and turn red, the damage is distributed around the nerves,

- Severe neuralgia, headache, migraine, with swelling of the lymph nodes in the surrounding area. Children have mild or no pain. But the elderly have very severe pain.

- If not infected, the clear pimples will become cloudy, dry and crusted. When temporarily healed, the pigment will remain on the skin and can re-infect after several months or years due to the underlying immune deficiency.

- Skin lesions of shingles usually affect only one half of the body, never both sides.

3-compartment ant:Affects both sides, or many areas of exposed skin (face, neck, chest, shoulders, nape of the neck...) and will continue to progress, causing the body to tingle and feel uncomfortable.

12-24 hours after the appearance of the red, burning rash caused by the 3-compartment ant, typical lesions will appear (skin burns, blisters in streaks or patches, with blisters in the middle, children may have a mild fever, swollen lymph nodes...). If the itch is scratched, it will spread to healthy skin and folds.

After 3 days the injury will stop burning and the scabs will peel off. After 5-7 days the scabs will fall off but the burn will remain dark for a long time.

If you are bitten by a 3-compartment ant, you need to give first aid immediately by washing with 70 or 90 degree alcohol, Betadine, or washing with soap 3 times and then spraying perfume... thoroughly to reduce most of the blisters.

If you do not see the 3-compartment ants, but your skin suddenly has red spots and blisters, you should suspect that the 3-compartment ants are causing damage. You should immediately wash that area of ​​skin with saline 3-4 times a day to neutralize the insect's secretions.

You should see a doctor early for proper treatment, and if the injury is severe, you will be given antihistamines and antibiotics.

Skin damage caused by ants.

Preventing 3-compartment ants

When you see ants clinging to your body, clothes, or furniture in your house, absolutely do not kill or rub them with your hands. Blow them away, or put a piece of paper on them to let them crawl on to remove them from your body. Then wash the skin area that has come into contact with this insect with clean water and soap, and apply a mild antiseptic.

According to the instructions of Master, Doctor Mai Huong (National Children's Hospital), to prevent insects from flying into the house, limit opening the door often, especially in places near trees, fields... Close the door, pull the curtains, limit turning on the lights and avoid using neon lights, LED lights... because they attract insects. Avoid standing under bright public lights, or working under the light because ants often fly to places with bright lights.

- Do not use bare hands to catch or kill ants.

- Sleep under a mosquito net. Shake towels and clothes before use. Clean the environment and clear bushes around the house to prevent ants from hiding.

- When working in fields, residential areas with lots of lights, near construction sites (especially during harvest season, stormy season), you need to wear long clothes, hats, masks, and boots to avoid contact with insects.

- When you start to feel a burning sensation in an area of ​​skin, you can wash that area with diluted salt water, soap...

- Although the itching and burning sensation is very uncomfortable, absolutely do not scratch the wound because it will cause ulcers, open the wound, and cause very dangerous infections.

- Wash your hands with soap, then apply the medicine to the affected skin area.

- Take medication as prescribed.

According to Family & Society