Picked up a tick?
Even if the tick has attached to your skin, stay calm, don't panic and go find a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers to remove it quickly and safely, advises officials from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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And forget about folklore remedies involving petroleum or nail polish to smother the tick or heating your skin until the tick falls off. You want to remove the tick as quickly as possible, before it has time to transmit pathogens that cause disease.
CDC experts say this is the safest way to remove ticks:
1. Grasp the tick with fine-tipped tweezers, positioning the tweezer tips as close to your skin's surface as possible.
2. Without twisting or jerking the tick, pull the tweezers upward with steady, even pressure. If you do twist and the tick's mouth parts break and remain in the skin, go back to remove the mouth parts with the tweezers. If you can't get the mouth parts out, leave the spot alone and allow the skin to heal.
3. Once the tick is out, thoroughly cleanse the bite area and your hands using rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub or soap and water.
Credit: Contributed by MedicalDaily.com
Credit: Contributed by MedicalDaily.com
Once you've removed the tick from your skin, dispose of it immediately. According to the CDC, the safest ways to dispose of a live tick is to submerse it in alcohol, seal it in a bag or container, wrap it tightly in tape or flush it down the toilet. Do not crush the live tick with your fingers.
Protect yourself from ticks
The best defense against ticks getting under your skin is a good offense. "The most important thing is to avoid getting bitten in the first place," said Rebecca Eisen, Ph.D., a research biologist with the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, in a recent Consumer Reports blog post. "Fortunately, there are really simple things you can do to protect yourself and your family."
Eisen and Consumer Reports house experts recommend discouraging ticks in your yard and on your deck by taking away their preferred hangouts: tall grass and super shady spots. Keep the lawn mowed, remove leaves and other garden and lawn debris and try to let lots of sun into your yard.
Also consider fencing the yard to keep out deer and other large animals that may host ticks, and check your pets for ticks after they've been outside.your property to keep out deer and other large animals that can carry ticks. And don't forget to check your pets for ticks after they have been romping outside.
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Away from your residence and in wooded or grassy areas in the summer, it's possible to discourage ticks with natural methods, according to Mother Earth News. They recommend these tick deterrents:
Dress for success. If you know you'll be hiking, picnicking or walking where ticks might be waiting, wear light clothing so you can see ticks and remove them before they find skin to latch on to. Also, wear a hat and tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks to limit ticks' access to spots on your skin.
Pester ticks with perfume. When you spend a lot of time outdoors in tick season, you may want to deter ticks with a plant-based pesticide. The key ingredient, according to Mother Earth News, is lemon eucalyptus oil, available in products like Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus Spray. The tick-deterring oil is very fragrant (or smelly, depending who you ask), so for most people it's better to skip slathering it on your skin and apply it to your pants instead, since they can be removed and tossed in the wash.
