If you suddenly have caterpillar bumps from head to toe
When I was seven years old I got psoriasis, which simply means that your skin cell division is quite off. Around my thirteenth, sun allergy joined in, which then became psoriasis again because my skin thought something was wrong. Very inconvenient. So when I got some red bumps on my hand last week, there was no panic. The sun, was my conclusion, even though there was hardly any sun last week. I really did think about it for a while.
Until I lay in bed on Sunday night and saw that my arm from shoulder to elbow was covered in a rash. And hey, quite strange, it seemed worse on my hands while I had mostly binged and partied indoors this rainy weekend. Now I walk an hour in the woods every morning and right in front of my door, there are about twenty oaks waving. I always check if I see a bunch of caterpillars in procession through the trees, but I hadn't spotted any caterpillar yet.
Could it really be? I call Lot to see what she says. Something less reassuring than I hoped, because she walked the exact same piece in the same forest that weekend and suddenly has red bumps too. Guess I'll consult Doctor Google then. I quote: “Not everyone reacts as violently to the stinging hairs.” Ah no, great news this, although I read on the Red Cross site that I'm still on the mild side in terms of symptoms. There are situations where you need to call 112 immediately because your throat and tongue swell.
What do the little motherfuckers do? I looked it up for you.
The oak processionary caterpillar shoots its stinging hairs around, which anchor themselves with barbs in your skin and that's where the trouble begins. It usually causes irritation to the skin, eyes, and airways (exactly what you could use right now). The hairs go right through your clothing, which explains why my modestly covered upper arm has been declared a hit area. You can't see the stinging hairs, which makes it all treacherous because you do more harm than good by rubbing.
What you can do against the reaction to the little motherfuckers? Simply put: wait until it passes and that takes about two weeks. You remove the stinging hairs from the skin with tape or by rinsing the skin, then you can treat the allergic reaction with a cooling cream that contains aloe vera, calendula, menthol, or eucalyptus. Wash your clothes at a minimum of 60 degrees (farewell favorite wool sweater) to remove the hairs. If you don't have something soothing at hand quickly: aftersun usually contains something that works cooling. The home remedy of the day in case of processionary caterpillars.
This afternoon I get to see our house skin therapist Annelijn on the table. Let's see what her verdict is on this red bump outbreak. It feels a bit like payback time. I keep raving about how wonderful it is to live in nature, especially during times of corona, and then you get this. First three (!) wasp nests in the garden, now a procession by my bike.
Update from the expert: it is indeed oak processionary stuff and Chickenpox Mousse seems to help well with this issue. So after the first dose of aftersun, you run to a drugstore for some mousse.
