Weed contact blisters

[Dean Lofthouse]

About a week ago I was mowing and strimming on a job then came home and did a bit in my wood.

That night my neck was itching and in the morning I had puss blisters all over the front of my neck and jaw.

At first I thought it was a piece of ivy that touched my neck but it has been suggested today that it would more likely be a result of strimming certain weeds and getting the spattering of sap from them.

What sort of weeds cause this and this is a week and a half on.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Giant Hogweed mate. (or common)

 

Very very nasty stuff; get the hell out of dodge with that ****. In eyes can cause blindness.

 

Heracleum mantegazzianum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Wife is a medical expert on the best way to deal with the scarring - I'll ask her what worked 100% on me; can't recall now, aloe vera gel from H&B or summat

Edited May 23, 2012 by TimberCutterDartmoor

[Dean Lofthouse]

Just looked at pictures of that and can't recall seeing any unless it was some baby ones

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Just looked at pictures of that and can't recall seeing any unless it was some baby ones

 

yep the baby ones grow only an inch or so minged in with the grass and strimming them is the classic way to get blasted. It's deffo hogweed mate.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Spot on mate, thanks

 

After reading your link it makes sense, the blisters get really bad when out in the sun and weep badly, today I have covered myself in factor 30 and they are nowhere near as bad

 

Just need to hunt them down and eradicate them carefully, what's the best way, just inject with glyphosate?

[treequip]

One hot summer many years ago I had to render first aid to a couple of kids that had been whacking each other with hogweed stems, mostly across their bare backs, it was not a pretty sight and we packed them off to casualty.

[Tom D]

Common hog weed does that too Dean, not as badly as the giant stuff but still nasty, there's a lot more of it around too. The reaction with the skin is photo-sensitive and only reacts when exposed to light. especially full sunlight. I had it once after strimming topless, I was in the sun all day and the red blotches actually developed blisters. It can stay reactive for a while so use sunblock or wear a scarf LOL.

[Pedroski]

It's syphilis, plain as day. Better pop along to the docs and get it sorted out.

[James]

It's probably common hogweed in our part of the world Dean, although I've seen some giant stuff next to the M62 recently.

I've had a few blisters off the common hogweed, but no permanent damage - all was ok after a couple of weeks.

[James]

Although, I think you should listen to pedroski - he is a doctor after all