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Health guidanceUnited Kingdom with regional context

What does an infected tick bite look like?

Increasing pain, warmth, swelling, redness or discharge can suggest a skin infection, but diagnosis requires clinical assessment and should not be made from a photograph alone.

Reviewed by VuxLore® Knowledge Team For Everyone

Short answer

Increasing pain, warmth, swelling, redness or discharge can suggest a skin infection, but diagnosis requires clinical assessment and should not be made from a photograph alone.

At a glance

Increasing pain, warmth, swelling, redness or discharge can suggest a skin infection, but diagnosis requires clinical assessment and should not be made from a photograph alone. A bite cannot be diagnosed from appearance alone; record it and seek assessment for concerning change.

Key takeaways

• Increasing pain, warmth, swelling, redness or discharge can suggest a skin infection, but diagnosis requires clinical assessment and should not be made from a photograph alone.

• A bite cannot be diagnosed from appearance alone; record it and seek assessment for concerning change.

• This article is educational and cannot diagnose, exclude or treat illness. Use NHS 111, a GP, emergency services or the corresponding local service according to symptom severity.

Direct answer

Increasing pain, warmth, swelling, redness or discharge can suggest a skin infection, but diagnosis requires clinical assessment and should not be made from a photograph alone.

Use it in context

A bite cannot be diagnosed from appearance alone; record it and seek assessment for concerning change.

Practical next step

This article is educational and cannot diagnose, exclude or treat illness. Use NHS 111, a GP, emergency services or the corresponding local service according to symptom severity.

Sources and further reading

NHS: Lyme disease

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Lyme disease: diagnosis and management (NG95)

UK Health Security Agency: What is Lyme disease and how is it diagnosed and treated?