Super close-up of a tick's mouth

The blood-sucking mouth parts of the tick species Ixodes ricinus.

With cinematography, SEM and confocal microscopy, we recorded and interpreted the insertion events of the tick's mouthparts.  Initially the paired telescoping chelicerae pierce the skin and, moving alternately, generate a toehold.  Subsequently, a breaststroke-like motion, effected by simultaneous flexure and retraction of both chelicerae, pull in the barbed hypostome.  The ratchet-like motility of their flexible chelicerae allows Ixodes ticks to dynamically penetrate the soft substrate of the host's skin and use their rigid hypostome for robust static attachment.

(Dania Richter, Technical University of Braunschweig/Proceedings of the Royal Society B; Biological Sciences)

Is a Tick Bite Causing Your Depression?

The symptoms your doc could be missing

From Prevention magazine
By Leah Zerbe


However you feel about the mild winter we just experienced (Yay for less shoveling! Boo for global warming!), one thing no one’s excited about: The explosion in the tick population it caused. And while most people know that ticks can carry Lyme disease, many of us know very little about the hard-to-pin-down disease. Here’s how to recognize the symptoms and protect yourself from Lyme disease.

What is Lyme disease? There’s a reason experts call it “The Great Imitator.” Lyme disease results from inflammation caused by Lyme bacteria, and the symptoms can mimic everything from rheumatoid arthritis and lupus to anxiety disorders and depression. Most often the result of a tick bite, Lyme disease's range of devastation is daunting: The same Lyme germ causing joint pain in one person could lead to symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's disease in another.

Read more:

http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/what-you-need-know-about-lyme-disease

Lyme (borreliosis) and Your Skin

I've been noticing weird stuff happen to my skin the last few years:

1. Additional pigmentation around my lower right leg,
2. Lots of new spider veins on my thighs appearing relatively quickly. This started recently.
3. Very rapid onset of wrinkles on the backs of my hands.
4. Increased transparency of skin on my hands, especially. 
5. Leatherlike skin on the soles of my feet.

I have been told by my LLMD that Bartonella can do some of this, especially the spider veins. Whatever the cause(s), my interest perked up when I found the following citation:

Lyme borreliosis and skin.

Authors: Vasudevan B, Chatterjee M

Citation: Indian J Dermatol 2013(May); 58(3): 167-74.

Location: Department of Dermatology, Command Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

DOI: 10.4103/0019-5154.110822

Lyme disease is a multisystem illness which is caused by the strains of spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and transmitted by the tick, Ixodes. Though very commonly reported from the temperate regions of the world, the incidence has increased worldwide due to increasing travel and changing habitats of the vector. Few cases have been reported from the Indian subcontinent too. Skin manifestations are the earliest to occur, and diagnosing these lesions followed by appropriate treatment, can prevent complications of the disease, which are mainly neurological. The three main dermatological manifestations are erythema chronicum migrans, borrelial lymphocytoma and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. Many other dermatological conditions including morphea, lichen sclerosis and lately B cell lymphoma, have been attributed to the disease. Immunofluorescence and polymerase reaction tests have been developed to overcome the problems for diagnosis. Culture methods are also used for diagnosis. Treatment with Doxycycline is the mainstay of management, though prevention is of utmost importance. Vaccines against the condition are still not very successful. Hence, the importance of recognizing the cutaneous manifestations early, to prevent systemic complications which can occur if left untreated, can be understood. This review highlights the cutaneous manifestations of Lyme borreliosis and its management.

10.4103/0019-5154.110822