When the spring and summer months arrive, the number of cases of Lyme disease increase because people are spending more time outside in the nice weather. As the grass grows higher, ticks have an expanded habitat to lurk in.
Whenever you spend time outdoors, use effective tick repellent on your skin and/or on your clothing. Once you are home, check for ticks. They might be engorged with blood, in which case they will look plump and fat. Or they might not have eaten their fill yet, in which case they will look like a speck of dirt, a freckle or a ‘skin tag’. They like to lurk in dark, moist areas, such as the backs of knees, groin, and underarms.
If you do find a tick, the important thing is not to panic. They need to be latched onto you for at least 24 hours to cause disease.
Having said that, it is essential to remove a tick correctly in case it is carrying the bacteria that trigger Lyme disease, or other tickborne illnesses. This is because the tick’s mouth parts can snap off and get lodged in the skin if you are not careful, and inject more bacteria into your bloodstream.
What NOT To Do
There are a lot of ‘folk remedies’ related to getting rid of ticks that do not work and can actually be dangerous. Some people say to light a fire under the tick by using a match or lighter, but this can cause it to die while still latched on, leaving the mouth parts in your skin. Or, it might lash out and inject you with more bacteria.
Petroleum jelly and clear nail polish do not work either. You will end up with a dead or startled and agonized tick that can do more damage than simply removing it using this tried and tested method.
What To Do
You will need:
- Fine-tipped tweezers
- Rubbing alcohol
- A small disposable container, preferably with a cap.
- Sterile cotton
- A small magnifying glass if you have one
- Soap and warm water, or hand sanitizer if you are outdoors
Lay out your items on a clean surface, or a paper towel so you have everything ready.
To Remove the Tick:
Over the mouth of the small container, hold the tweezers and pour some of the rubbing alcohol over the tips to disinfect them.
Keep pouring until there is enough alcohol in the small container to immerse a tick completely.
Using the magnifying glass and the fine-tipped tweezers, focus your attention on the area where the tick’s mouth parts are in the skin.
Aim the tweezer tips to try to grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin’s surface. You don’t want to squash the tick’s head or body.
Squeeze the tweezers closed so you have a firm grip on the mouth part. Pull straight upwards out of your skin using a firm, steady movement. Do not yank, jerk or twist.
Place the tick in the rubbing alcohol. Swish around the tweezers to help disinfect them. Put a lid on the container if you have one and dispose of it. If there is no lid, flush it down the nearest toilet.
Wash your hands and the area of the tick bite carefully. If you don’t have running water, use hand sanitizer and some alcohol on the cotton to clean the area of the bite.
If you love the great outdoors or live outside the city and have pets, be vigilant about ticks and tick removal to keep you and your family as safe as possible from tick bites, which can cause a range of nasty illnesses, not just Lyme disease.
