I got a small scratch from a rose thorn, and even though there's no thorn left in it, I noticed it started swelling just 3 hours later. I've cleaned it, but the redness now spreads about 1 cm from the scratch. I even marked the area to track the redness. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of reaction?
3 Answers
Definitely try applying some antibacterial spray or Neosporin to it. I read that the first patient ever treated with penicillin got an infection from a rose thorn scratch, so it’s smart to be cautious!
Honestly, rose thorns can be a bit tricky! My mom, who loves gardening, gets these kinds of scratches frequently. If you're looking for something to ease the inflammation, a 10-15% tea tree oil solution works wonders if you have it. If not, diluted apple cider vinegar is a good alternative. Coconut oil is also fantastic as it has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
It sounds like you might have come down with what's known as rose gardener's disease, which is actually a fungal infection related to rose thorns. You might want to check out [this link](https://www.cdc.gov/sporotrichosis/about/index.html) for more info. However, keep in mind it could also just be a bacterial infection since symptoms usually develop over a longer period.