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Do You Have A Spider Bite? These 7 Photos Can Help You Tell | Pulse Ghana

Charlotte Hilton Andersen

2) So what happens when a spider bite becomes infected? While poisonous bites are rare, any bitespider or otherwisecan turn serious if it becomes infected, says Arnold. There are three main complications that can arise from bites: cellulitis, blisters, and swelling, says Arnold. When a spider bite turns into cellulitisa common (although painful) skin infectiona rash begins to spread around the wound, and the skin becomes painful and hot to the touch. Another common reaction to many spider bites is to get "weeping" blisters at the site (they look puffy and fluid-filled). Small blisters on their own, with no other symptoms, don't necessarily need special care. But if a blister opens, it becomes at risk for infection, says Arnold, so don't try to pop them! If you think you may have an infection at the bite site, whether from cellulitis or open blisters, it's best to have your doctor take a look. Swelling is another very common symptom of insect or spider bites. Even though the swelling can get quite pronounced it's not necessarily a problem, as long as it goes down within a few days. But if the swelling doesn't go down, gets significantly worse, or is accompanied by other symptoms, it's time to get medical attention, says Arnold. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BONHeFmhxAl/" id="ae58c9be-824e-35ab-ad7c-2a01c267d409"> See the original post on Instagram </a> yuckygross@Instagram

3) Jumping Spider And Wolf Spider Bites The two most common spider bites are from house spiders, specifically the jumping spider and the wolf spider. While it can be scary to be bitten by any spider, these bites normally aren't any more painful than a bee sting and shouldn't cause problems beyond some redness, swelling, and itching, Arnold says. Treat these at home by washing the site with soap and water, using cold compresses, and taking an ibuprofen to reduce pain and swelling, he adds. RELATED: 9 GENIUS WAYS TO RELIEVE BUG BITES <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BeeQxz1lM3a/" id="ffc75b5c-83ec-3054-a097-50a6d9873308"> See the original post on Instagram </a> hchharding@Instagram

4) Black Widow Spider Bites Of all of the spiders, black widows pose the greatest health threat to Americans, according to <a href="http://spiders.ucr.edu/myth.html" id="67054f62-8509-3933-a5f9-10ef502994f1"> Rick Vetter </a> , Ph.D., a spider expert in the department of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. Their bite is extremely painful and, while an antivenin (a.k.a. anti-venom) exists now, before it was discovered, about 5 percent of bitten people died. Think you can ID a black widow bite on sight? Not so fast: The actual bite looks a lot like any other spider bite. However, they do tend to become more swollen and red than your general household spider bite, he says. Black widow spiders are tough to identify, as well. Only female black widows have the characteristic red hourglass-shaped markings on their backs. Male and immature black widows have tan and white stripes, Vetter says. Because these types of bites are so serious, if you strongly suspect you were bitten by a black widow or you develop muscle cramping, abdominal and chest pain, high blood pressure, a racing heart, and/or vomiting within two hours of a bite, go to the ER immediately, Arnold says. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/mVRbP5PtA3/" id="6b767874-2f83-3fd3-a431-05f015a4d50c"> See the original post on Instagram </a> y2caitlin@Instagram

5) Brown Recluse Spider Bites The brown recluse (also known as the fiddleback spider or violin spider) is one of the most venomous spiders in America, but they are limited to very specific geographic regionsif you don't live in one of these places, it's highly unlikely you need to worry about this type of bite, Vetter says. (Check out this <a href="http://spiders.ucr.edu/images/colorloxmap.gif" id="2264c9e2-448e-319f-a290-a34df124ccfd"> map </a> to see if you're in the danger zone.) And despite what you may have heard, even where brown recluses are present, they rarely bite, he adds. To identify a brown recluse, look for six eyes arranged in pairs. (Although getting close enough to see the eye pattern on a spider sounds, frankly, terrifying.) Brown recluse bites do happen though, and when they do, they are often described by "sharp burning pain," Arnold explains. Within several hours, the bite area becomes discolored and forms an ulcer that can takes several weeks to heal. In addition to the wound, individuals can also develop fevers, muscle aches, and in rare cases, severe anemia as a result of the venom. Start by treating any bite at home with cold compresses and an antibiotic cream, but if you start to show severe symptoms, including a lot of swelling, increased pain, fever, spreading rash or other sign of infection, get medical attention immediately, he adds. There isn't an antivenin, but they can treat the symptoms and manage the infection. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/5FX1qJIhUS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_camera" id="fc7cf453-d696-3345-a82b-b5833d85fbcd"> See the original post on Instagram </a> ashley_parsons@Instagram

6) Hobo Spider Bites The hobo spider is actually a pretty common venomous house spider in the U.S., but despite some scary media reports, they're not aggressive and will only bite if provoked, according to the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/r1/fire/nrcg/Committees/Operations/ims/ims_web_site/Hobo%20Spider.htm" id="86e7828a-b5aa-3a65-a9ab-1d5466b7d2d4"> U.S. Forest Service </a> . In addition, about half of hobo spider bites are "dry," meaning they contain no venom, the service adds. If you do receive a venomous bite, within a few hours it will become red and hard, similar to a mosquito bite, and within a day or two will develop blisters. After the blisters open, a scab typically forms along with a rash that often looks like a target or bull's eye. Because these wounds can become necrotic (as in, infected to the point they start killing surrounding tissue) and can last for years in some cases, you should see a doctor immediately, Arnold says. There isn't an antivenin but they can treat the symptoms and manage any infection with antibiotics. Hobo spiders can be hard to identify, according to the Forest Service. They are large and often have chevron-type markings on their backs, but these won't be visible on darker-skinned adult spiders, which is why it's important to get any bite checked out if it starts to show signs of infection or you see a target forming on your skin, Arnold says. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/eNM-rPyZ3k/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_camera" id="f900f010-683a-367b-a53a-53f722823fa8"> See the original post on Instagram </a> eplevinski@Instagram

Do You Have A Spider Bite? These 7 Photos Can Help You Tell

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