Patient P.H initially only saw a small spot on her skin, so she thought it was bitten by an insect and would heal on its own after a few days. However, the next day, a white dot appeared in the middle of the wound, causing her to worry and decide to go to the hospital for examination.
Although her relatives suspected that this was an injury caused by thrips, she still did not arbitrarily apply medicine or treat it at home because she was afraid of making the wound worse. "Without experience, I thought it was best to go to a medical facility for a doctor's examination," patient H. shared.
According to Ms. H., termites still occasionally appear in the living area, especially they often fly into the house with lights. Previously, she did not think this insect was dangerous, but after this incident, she realized that people need to be more vigilant and handle them properly when in contact with termites.
Patient T.M. H (Thong Tay Hoi ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that initially the damaged skin area was only slightly hot, so he thought it was due to allergies or heat in the body, but on the third day, when the wound became increasingly severe, the patient decided to go to the hospital for examination.
According to BS.CKII Nguyen Vu Hoang - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital, at the time after hot spells, when continuous rain appears, three-striped ants often fly from their shelters into the house with lights and accidentally come into contact with people. Many people mistakenly believe they are bitten by insects, so they use their hands to hit or wipe them away, causing toxin-containing fluid in the ants' body to stick to the skin and cause contact dermatitis in long streaks.
If treated properly, the injury usually only leaves dark spots. However, when self-medicating inappropriately or cared for incorrectly, the wound can spread, become superinfected, penetrate deep into the skin and leave permanent scars.
The most common mistake is rubbing or hitting ants with your hands when you detect them crawling on your body. This action breaks the toxic fluid, spreading to other skin areas, causing increasingly widespread damage.
When detecting ants crawling on their bodies, people should remain calm, use paper or thin objects to gently remove ants from their bodies, and absolutely do not smash them.
If signs of burning, blisters or widespread lesions appear, it is necessary to wash the skin area with clean water or physiological saline and go to specialized medical facilities for examination and timely treatment, limiting the risk of infection and scarring," Dr. Vu Hoang added.
