Always wear gloves
when removing a tick.
Ticks can pose a health hazard to humans and pets. Ticks bite into a host and suck out blood for nourishment. During that bite, ticks can infect a host with diseases and germs. Understanding tick treatments will help you protect yourself and your pets from unwanted bites.
Wear Gloves
Always wear gloves during tick treatments. This will protect your skin and prevent the tick from biting you during removal. Gloves will also keep you from spreading germs from the ticks to others around you until you've had a chance to wash and sanitize hands.
Avoid Further Tick Secretions
You might have heard that you can put a hot match, rubbing alcohol or even fingernail polish on ticks prior to removal. Do not use these methods because the tick will burrow further into the skin and can secrete additional bacteria into the host. The methods could also hurt the person or pet you're trying to help.
Remove the Head of the Tick
A tricky part of tick treatment is ensuring the head of the tick is completely removed. Examine the skin where the tick was removed. Check for a small indention in the skin. Use a pen and draw a small circle around the bite area. Check the area daily for rash, swelling or redness. Consult a doctor immediately if there is a reaction or if there is no small indentation in the skin. Only a doctor should remove the tick head if the body has become detached.
Pull Straight Out
Pull the tick straight out from the skin with a pair of tweezers. Turning or twisting the tick with your fingertips or tweezers will cause the tick to further embed in the skin and could rip the body off of the tick and leave the head in the skin. That can cause infection and further irritation.
Dispose of the Tick
You should not burn or squeeze a tick to dispose of it. Flush the tick down the toilet unless you think you might be having a reaction to the tick. If that's the case, place the tick in a small jar and tightly close the lid. You can then show the jar to your doctor to identify the type of tick that bit you or even test for diseases such as Lyme disease.
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