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I *think* I brushed past one 3 hours ago and it made contact with bare skin on my arm - felt some initial stinging that was no worse than a nettle. Still stings 3 hours later, hurting more than before, some slight swelling (1-2mm) in the immediate area and a little bit of redness (not much though, only faint little spots around where the stinging is).
Are those the initial symptoms of a hogweed sting? Anything worth doing now, rather than in the morning? Am I a big pansy?
Ta
Anything worth doing now, rather than in the morning
Write a will.
It takes a few days for the effects to kick in and you should get it seen to asap as it can be pretty nasty. Keep the affected area out of sunlight because the chemical "sting" you get from it causes the skin to become photo-sensitive and can cause nasty blistering.
Also, let your local Environment Agency office know about it (after you get yourself sorted obviously).
I got big blisters, redness and took a few months to clear up. Nasty stuff.
This according to wiki
Children should be kept away from Giant Hogweed. Protective clothing, including eye protection, should be worn when handling or digging it. If skin is exposed, the affected area should be washed thoroughly with soap and water and the exposed skin protected from the sun for several days.
I got big blisters, redness and took a few months to clear up. Nasty stuff.
But initially, in the first few hours after the sting, what happens?
Write a will.
😉
huw
Cheers
I wouldn't wash it with anything but water. Don't use soap etc. You should treat it as a chemical burn.
By the time I realised I had contact with it (brush cutting) it was to late and I had blisters on my forearm 🙁 Definitely keep it out of sun light.
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Not me I hasten to add.
Problem is when its younger it just looks like keck.
24hours for full devlopment - maybe some vinegar? Caustic type burn.
I'm pretty sure the plant wasn't 15-20ft tall, maybe more like 6-8ft. I guess you can get younger/smaller ones though.
After further internet-based research I've decided it could have been a cow parsnip. If I'm alive in the morning I'm going to go and have a look.
Not all giant hogweed is 15-20ft high most I encounter at work probably averages 5-6ft.
Un less you are particularly allergic to it, dont belive the horror stories.
I spend most of the summer covered in its mascerated remains. You really need to be exposed to the juicy inner core, the stem and leaves are a very minor irritant (i expect that you brushed against a nettle next to the hog). If you wash it off immediately its normally ok. If it continues to redden, cover up and dont expose the skin to sunlight for a few days. This pretty much saves you from the blisters.
If it does blister, pop em, and treat with steroid cream, its not that bad. Worst you get longterm is a bit of skin discoloration.
My forearms were covered in juicy bits worse than ever before this year, it looked pretty nasty (like i had a serious drug problem) but wasnt painful and soon cleared up.
Get it in yours eyes though and its a different matter altogether, get to the docs asap
MTFU