Mosquito Bite Reaction and Skin Scarring
by Maddy
(Seattle)
Whenever I go to the East coast for a vacation I have to be very careful to watch out for mosquitos. When I am bitten by one, the mosquito bite goes through three specific stages. The first stage is what I call the swelling stage. This is the typical or normal reaction that most people experience after a mosquito bite. The affected skin area also itches and turns red. Both of these symptoms are also not that unusual for a standard bite from a mosquito. However, the second stage is something that I have never seen anyone else have. I call this second stage the Crater stage. After the swelling occurs on the skin, the bite caves in to form a sort of crater in my flesh that becomes waxy, raw, and scabs. This stage usually takes about a month to heal. the third stage is the formation of a scar where the mosquito bite, swelling, and crater occurred. I now have scars all over my legs and some on my arms that never seem to go away.
Unfortunately, I have had this mosquito bite reaction since I was little but only with mosquito bites. Sometimes a grouping of swells will develop around one bite in skin areas where I wasn't even bitten! Does anyone else have this reaction or know what it is? I would really like to have a diagnosis and a way of preventing this from happening. The scarring is really affecting the appearance of my skin.
I have included a picture of my lower leg and ankle area to illustrate what I am talking about. You can see scars from past bites and a crater that is red and scabbing from a more recent mosquito bite.
