Finding a tick attached to your skin, your kid or your dog is unsettling. The good news: removing it is quick when you have the right tool and know the steps. Here's how to do it the way the CDC recommends.
What you need
- Fine-tipped tweezers, or a notched tick remover for larger ticks
- Good light and a magnifier, because nymphs can be as small as a poppy seed
- Rubbing alcohol, soap and water, or hand sanitizer
- A sealed container, like a small vial, if you want to keep the tick
How to remove a tick, step by step
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Get the tips of the tweezers right down at the skin's surface, around the tick's head, not its swollen body.
- Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick. A slow, steady pull helps keep the mouthparts from breaking off.
- Clean up. Wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer.
- Deal with the tick. Never crush it with your fingers. The CDC suggests putting it in a sealed container, wrapping it tightly in tape, submerging it in alcohol, or flushing it.
- Check for more. Where there's one tick, there may be others. Do a full check, and check any pets that were with you.
What not to do
Skip the folk remedies. The CDC advises against petroleum jelly, nail polish, heat or other substances to make a tick let go. They take time, and they can agitate the tick. Removing it quickly with tweezers is the goal.
Should you keep the tick?
It's worth it. A tick sealed in a small vial lets you identify it later and show it to your doctor if you feel unwell in the weeks after the bite. Write the date and where you think you picked it up on a piece of tape on the vial.
When to see a doctor
According to the CDC, if you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Tell them about the bite, when it happened and where you most likely picked up the tick.
Be ready before you need it
The hardest part is usually finding tweezers that actually grip at the moment you need them. The Tick-Away kit keeps fine-point tweezers, a notched tick remover, a folding magnifier, a specimen vial and a tick ID card together in one zip case. Keep one in the car, one in your pack and one at home.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Source: CDC, What to Do After a Tick Bite.
