My 10 year old has ultra sensitive skin. For the last few weeks, she has come to me maybe 4 times now with itchy spots that look suspiciously like a mosquito bite: a raised white circle about 1/8 of an inch in diameter in an inch circular reddish area that itches. Mostly she gets them in the living room, but tonight after she was done in the bathroom and was lying in bed she had another spot. My first thought is the Christmas tree has brought in bugs. My second thought was the indoor cats somehow got flees. We checked the rugs and the tree carefully, but can see nothing flying or crawling around. She is the only one that has these itchy spots.
Could this be an allergy to something, like brushing by the sap of Christmas tree? I would expect more of a scratchy pattern, not this single bug-bite looking bump. It is mostly on her upper arms that these single itchy spots have occurred.
I would think with the snow outside that bugs would be dead, unless we are hatching something in our warm living room that no one can see and only the 10 year old is getting bitten by. Any ideas?
My husband was walking outside to check on the Christmas lights and said he saw mosquitoes flying around. We had some pretty warm temps so they must have hatched. We did have the window open at one point, so either they came in via the wood or via the open doors/windows. They were identical to the single mosquito bites she gets in the summer. I looked at pictures of bed bug bites and those come in clusters and leave blood spots in the bed. The same with flea bites. So we think they were mosquito bites. Funny thing is, a few days later I had this huge bit on my arm - red spot with a blister in it which seems to be a spider bite. Doctor said only to come in if headache or dizziness occur and I did not have those symptoms. We always used to tell the kids that winter is cold but AT LEAST the bugs are dead. Seems that this is no longer the case. Thanks for all those that answered.
Maybe hives? I have sensitive skin and get little reactions to things (like Christmas trees) that look like mosquito bites, but in fact are hives. Have you tried putting either a topical benedryl lotion on them or giving her benedryl oral meds to see if that helps? With the holiday, trees, dust, perfumes, holiday foods etc really can make sensitive skin break out. Good luck with it!!
Not thinking it's mosquitos. Sorry. Could it be just extra sensitive dry skin? This happens to my daughter each winter. A very gentle, good quality moisturizer helps. Many of the standard ones cause a burning sensation on her skin but a good facial moisturizer gives her some relief (I let her use some of my Clinique Moisture Surge -- very light & soothing). As much as I'd expect more of a rash if it's just dry skin, for my daughter it seems more as you described, like bug bites.
Another thought: could it be bed bugs? Not sure what the signs are, but I've heard a great deal about them in the news lately.
I can't speak to all the possibilities - BUT - I live in the Boston area and the last few years have been flabbergasted to find live flying mosquitoes in my house in January and February. Not a lot - just one or two - but it is so strange. In fact, I just killed one a couple of weeks ago. I cannot fathom where they come from - we wonder if we've got a wet spot in the basement or something strange - but they are definitely mosquitoes. I do not know if they are a species that bites humans or not. I also would personally make sure about the bed bug situation - I've heard they can even come into your house through old books - so I think that might be worth investigating to know for sure. A 10 year old would likely notice a mosquito biting her, whereas the bedbugs come out at night and are a little more stealthy. But I can confirm there are mosquitoes this time of year alive and well in the Boston area.
I have a friend whose son got a wicked case of poison ivy in the middle of the winter by carrying in fire wood that had some of a dried up piece of poison ivy vine on it.
Get her checked for ticks. A circular reddish rash area makes me think of lyme disease. If you catch it early it can be effectively treated.
I do not have an answer, but have to tell you we here in Pittsburgh, PA are having exactly the same issue with two of our kids!!!!!! I have been on line trying to figure it out! T.
It is definitely not from mosquitos in this weather. Ticks go dormant with the first frost - those Lyme disease bites usually have a bulls-eye pattern. The white raised area is the bite, and the larger reddish area is either the outlying area affected or possibly due to her rubbing/scratching it, or both. I get bites like that from the May flies (the Massachusetts equivalent of the Maine/NH black flies - a hard bump and a larger area where the reaction spreads. In my case, the reddish area can be 4 inches across, and it's hot to the touch. But again, it's not the season for these flies.
Flea bites usually don't occur when the cat is still in the house - those occur when people take the dog/cat to the kennel before a vacation, and then flea eggs hatch in the house. With no animal to feast on, the fleas bite humans. However, fleas don't fly, they jump, so bites (at least on adults) tend to be on the legs - with a child, they could be lower, especially if the child sat on the floor. But since your cat is in the house, I doubt that's it. And your child would have a whole bunch of bites, and you would have them too. Fleas are very tough to see - the best thing is to check on a place like your cat's stomach where there is very little fur - if you see something scurrying along, that's it.
Bed bugs - I would think there would be a ton of bites.
My guess is a stray spider - now and then someone is susceptible to them. I'm usually the one in my family. Sometimes they will do a few bites - do you find them in a row or in the same area? I've never actually seen the culprit in all these years - I just see the results occasionally. Often it's in a crease in the skin or along the waist where the elastic of my pajamas is, or along my bra line. Not sure why - I imagine something gets in there and likes the close quarters, then has a little feast. But that's not scientific, just my supposition.
Poison ivy would be a rash without a raised center as you describe, or it would be blisters, or both. It can occur year-round as the oils stay on the stems of the plants/vines long after the leaves have died back. That can come in on the cat too. But this doesn't sound like poison ivy. It also doesn't sound like anything from the tree.
I really wouldn't worry about it. The fact that she gets them in the living room is the only thing that stands out as interesting or worthy of more investigation. Is she always on the same sofa or always on the floor? That would sort of pinpoint an area. All I can think of is to do a thorough vacuuming of the upholstery and the floor but otherwise just keep an eye on it. I don't see any imperative to go in for extensive allergy testing. If it's an insect/spider, which I suspect it is, it's not going to show up on any test. And what are you going to do about it?
You can use OTC anti-itch products, but be aware that the rubbing on of the cream can intensify the itch. There is a product called Domeboro which is a powder you mix in water and apply as a compress with a washcloth - just place it over the bites but don't rub. It's particularly good at drawing out the moisture of a poison ivy blister but it might give her some relief. Otherwise, maybe there's something you can dab on with a cotton ball. I don't find calamine lotion to be particularly effective but it's an option to look at. Otherwise, if she'll let you, put some ice on it to reduce the swelling and quell the itch.
Bed bugs? Fleas or ticks? My best guess. Don't think you have any mosquitoes left in MA now.
I am thinking bed bugs.
Spider bites, it happens to me all of the time but I am more sensitive to bites than the rest of my family (thankfully). If they are not bothering her don't worry, maybe vacuum the room?
Sounds like eczema. It doesn't always appear as scaly patches. Sometimes it does look and feel just like a bug bite. Is there something more prevalent in her diet this month (Christmas cookies maybe?) Contact allergy is also possible, but I would look at internal triggers.
In terms of flea bites, fleas always bite in a pattern so it is rare to see just one bite. They usually appear in a line of 2-4 bites so it sounds like you could rule that possibility out.
Sounds like bed bugs. They've been rampant in certain areas of the country -including the northeast. NYC has had a horrible infestation of them. There are no mosquitoes in Atlanta right now, so I seriously doubt if any are active in Boston.
Just reading your post made me itch!
Before you freak out about bed bugs, I haven't heard any reports about them being rampant up here, and if she's only had 4 spots in a few weeks, it's probably not bed bugs, which feast all night.
Could be spider bites. It's pretty easy for a stray spider or two to move into the house in the winter. It's probably not mosquitos.
You might never figure out what it is. Unless it gets worse, I would try not to worry too much. Good luck.
