I recently got Lyme disease for the first time. Luckily, I was able to catch it early and, other than a few days of extreme fatigue, I am doing fine. Since my Lyme rash didn’t look like a standard bull’s-eye rash right away, I thought I’d share some photos of my Lyme rash as well as photos of the typical Lyme bull’s-eye rash and atypical rashes.
Does Lyme Disease Always Form a Rash?
According to the CDC, a rash will form in 70% to 80% of Lyme cases within 30 days of being bit. The rash usually doesn’t itch and will gradually expand. However, it’s possible that the rash occurs in more cases but simply wasn’t noticed. Likewise, it can be very hard for black people and dark-skinned people to notice a Lyme disease rash on their skin.
What Does a Lyme Disease Rash Look Like?
A Lyme disease rash typically has a bull’s eye shape: a red area in the center with a white band around it and another red circle around this. However, not all Lyme disease rashes look like a bull’s eye. If any type of rash forms in the days or weeks after getting bit by a tick, see a doctor!
Keep reading to see pictures of Lyme disease rashes, including early-stage and atypical Lyme rash pictures.
Also read:
- Early Signs of Lyme Disease
- Why Does My Tick Bite Itch?
- Best Tick Removal Tools for Humans
- How to Remove a Tick Head Stuck in Your Skin
- Permethrin Clothing for Preventing Ticks
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Early-Stage Lyme Disease Rash Photos
17 Days and 22 Days Post Bite
Two weeks after getting bit, a small red rash approximately 2 inches across appeared on the stop where a tick had bit me. It was not round and did not look like a bull’s eye. It actually itched a bit. I went to the lab for a test. While waiting for the test result, the rash started spreading, which is a sign of Lyme. I also started feeling tired as hell and my back hurt.
Lyme rash 17 days post-bite. The rash started noticeably spreading at this point but was not a bull’s-eye shape.
The Lyme rash at 22 days post-bite. If you look closely, you can see it’s starting to form a bull’s-eye shape. I started antibiotics at this point.
2 Weeks and 8 Weeks Post Bite
Below is another photo of an atypical Lyme disease rash, one week after the tick bite. It just looks like a generic red rash which could be from any number of things. Unfortunately, this Lyme didn’t get treated. The photo afterwards (#4) shows the same rash at 8 weeks post-tick bite. By then, it actually looks like a bull’s eye but it would have been easier to treat early on!
Lyme rash one week post-bite
Same Lyme rash but now 8-weeks post bite (untreated)
Two Weeks Post Bite
This Lyme rash does have a darker center but there is no distinct white ring around it.
Theis early Lyme rash is still small, but it starting to get the characteristic bull’s-eye shape.
Typical Bull’s-Eye Lyme Rash Photos
Below are pictures of the bull’s-eye Lyme rash. It typically starts out as a small red rash and develops the bull’s-eye shape as it spreads. You’ll see a concentrated area of red in the center followed by a lighter color red around the edges. The lighter colored area will expand outwards, leaving a white ring around the center. As you can see from the pictures, the ring is sometimes splotchy looking and not very distinct.
The bands on this bull’s eye rash aren’t as distinct, but it is still a typical Lyme rash
Lyme disease rashes can spread to be over 12 inches across. The photo above is one example of how large the rash can get. The distinct bands of color are a giveaway that it’s a Lyme rash.
Atypical Lyme Rashes and Less-Distinct Bull’s-Eyes
In some cases, the Lyme disease rash doesn’t look like a bull’s eye at all. It can be blistered (as seen here), cause a bluish swelling (as shown here on the ear), be uniform in color instead of banded, be oval or triangular in shape, or just look like a large red area (as shown here). You can see a picture of atypical Lyme disease on a black man here.
There are also many instances of Lyme rashes which are considered to be bull’s-eye shaped, but don’t have the white band inside. The message? Don’t expect a Lyme rash to look like a perfect bull’s eye. If you suspect Lyme, contact your doctor!
This rash is considered to be a bull’s-eye rash even though it lacks a white band in the middle. The photo was taken at three weeks post bite.
This photo of Lyme disease has a distinct outer ring but the center areas isn’t an obvious red circle. It could easily be mistaken for psoriasis or eczema.
The photo below is a bull’s-eye Lyme rash. However, you can’t see the circular shape because it is hidden under the hair. The distinct red band is the main sign that it’s Lyme and not another rash.
This Lyme rash behind the knee is so dark it almost looks like a bruise. It isn’t uniform in color throughout but does have a banded shape.
Late-Stage Lyme Disease Rash
I’m not sure how long the boy in the picture went untreated after being bit by a tick, but the Lyme disease is spreading. He now has multiple rashes on his body. You can even see some rash on his finger.
Remember that Lyme disease is unlikely if you correctly remove a tick within 24 hours. Get yourself a good tick removal tool and keep it with you at all times!
Image credits:
“EM Rash Lyme Disease” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by Archivemistress
“Lyme Disease Bulls Eye” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by cmkalina
“If you see a bulls eye rash, you probabl” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by eyewashdesign: A. Golden
“Lyme disease” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by monkeypuzzle
“Erythema chronicum migrans / Lyme disease – https://www.flickr.com/photos/skellner/3687318381/” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by no – https://www.flickr.com/people/skellner/
Bullseye Lyme Rash, by Jongarrison, Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 License
Atypical erythema migrans, by Mikael Häggström
Lyme young boy, by Lamiot, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lyme 3 Weeks, by Wilinckx, CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Lyme Disease Rash, by Guswen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wanderrote, by Faolan, CC-by-sa 3.0 / de
Erythemamigrans by Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lyme_disease_rash.jpg by Whispyhistory, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erythema_migrans_%28Wanderr%C3%B6te%29.jpg by Ffurler, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 Comments
Karen Beachy
September 23, 2021 at 8:10 pmI have had a tick barely fastened and still had a bulls eye rash at that site a couple weeks later as well as several co-infections from said bite.
Angie Johnson
June 9, 2022 at 4:44 amI noticed what I thought was a bruise high up on my left breast under my collar bone… Showed my boyfriend & he said something bit me, probably a tick. This “bite” is brand new cuz I didn’t see it yesterday. It’s about the size of a nickel with a red outer ring, pinkish orange in the middle & I can feel a hard knot in the center, like a BB. I’m not one to worry or freak out about bug bites but THIS has flipped my worry switch!!
Diane
June 9, 2022 at 10:38 amThat actually doesn’t sound like a tick bite (I definitely could be wrong though!). First off, you’d probably notice a tick on that location on your body. They stay attached feeding for 3-10 days! Also, tick bites are usually just a bit red right after they bite and are removed — it looks a lot like a mosquito bite with a smallish lump in the center. The redness typically goes away within a few days. If you get Lyme (which doesn’t always happen), the red bullseye rash usually doesn’t start to form for weeks. I’ve never heard of someone getting a full-out Lyme rash that quickly.
I’d guess that you actually have a spider bite. Though you’d probably be able to see two tiny fang marks. You could also have a boil — an infection of a hair follicle. In any case, it’s good you are taking it seriously. Check with a doctor, especially if you get any other symptoms or the rash doesn’t go away.