A pimple with a red circle on the head
January 3, 2017 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf
Hello. I have had a pimple on the back of my head for days. I somehow scratched it today. I just looked in the mirror and there is a small hole with a red circle around it. But I did not have a tick there!!
Should I be worried now or is this red circle just from scratching?
Can it become so inflamed that something worse happens?
Hello,
without having seen the whole thing, nothing binding can be said about it, but:
If it was really a pimple, i.e. a raised spot, possibly with a small white point, then it is quite possible that the surrounding area is red after scratching it, because the skin there is irritated and more blood flow is circulating.
You seem to be concerned about the redness and fear that it might have been a tick, even if you didn't see it. While this is a possibility, in that case you wouldn't have had a pimple for days, but rather a dark spot or a dark protrusion, because ticks are always brown and cannot take on the color of a pimple (red or white).
I would recommend that you wait calmly until tomorrow morning and then look at the area again. Maybe the redness will have gone away by then, and if not, then have your family doctor take a look at it. They have experience with such changes and can also tell you if an unnoticed tick bite is a possibility. If so, they would prescribe you an antibiotic tomorrow. That would be early enough.
If you want to do something now, then disinfect the area with a spray or a cream such as Betaisodona or Povidone-iodine.
Best regards
and get well soon
Dr. Schaaf
