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Remove a tick from your skin as soon as you notice it. Use fine-tipped tweezers to firmly grasp the tick very close to your skin. With a steady motion, pull the tick’s body away from your skin. Then clean your skin with soap and warm water. Throw the dead tick away with your household trash.
Avoid crushing the tick’s body. Do not be alarmed if the tick’s mouthparts remain in the skin. Once the mouthparts are removed from the rest of the tick, it can no longer transmit the Lyme disease bacteria. If you accidentally crush the tick, clean your skin with soap and warm water or alcohol.
Don’t use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products to remove a tick.
A deer tick has to be attached to you for at least 24 hours to be able to transmit Lyme Disease. |
The first symptom of Lyme is a rash, with the fancy name of Erythema Migrans. It’s fairly distinctive, and sometimes develops into a bulls-eye rash. It is normal to have some redness immediately and the day after pulling a tick off. This is not Lyme and is harmless. The Lyme rash begins 3 days or so later and can be associated with low grade fever, aches and headache. Seek medical attention if you develop such a red rash around your bite!
The best thing for you to do is to prevent the problem in the first place by wearing a repellent. DEET containing materials are the only reliable products for tick repellancy right now. These are safe to us in kids up to a 30% concentration. |
