General Question

TechnoTrumpet's avatar

What should I do if I got bitten by a tick?

Asked by TechnoTrumpet (7points) June 6th, 2017

I was working outside in my garden, and when I came inside, I found a tick on my leg. I heard not to use Vaseline or a match to remove it. Whats the best way to remove it?

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8 Answers

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

Tweezers, they even make special ones just for ticks. Save it in a ziplock just in case.

chyna's avatar

Yes, tweezers. I had one on my leg last Sept. I got it off but had this big bulls eye looking ring where it was indicating Lyme disease. I got antibiotics for it and was tested recently for Lyme disease, but I’m clear. Keep an eye on the area and go to your doctor if it starts looking like there is a place on your leg.

Roadtodebt's avatar

does it hurt? sorry to hear that! hope you can get it taken care of easily, my dog had one a few years ago, we used tweezers too.

Mariah's avatar

Be careful pulling it out yourself. Sometimes the head comes off and stays embedded. Make sure you get the head out too.

dappled_leaves's avatar

As others have said here, use tweezers.

Don’t put anything on it; don’t try to burn it, etc. Any activity that you might try to induce the tick to leave of its own accord is likely to cause it to regurgitate into your bloodstream, and that’s one way Lyme can be contracted.

Use tweezers – it’s the best way to remove the tick without increasing your risk of getting Lyme disease.

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

If you use tweezers, you need to grasp the tick close to the skin to avoid squeezing the tick and causing it to inject more of its poison into your bloodstream. Here’s a YouTube video that shows you how to remove them.

However, there is an argument that tweezing the tick off is the worst way to remove a tick and that you should get yourself a spray to freeze warts (Wart off or similar) from the chemist. Here is a video from the Catalyst program showing how to remove a tick.

We usually just grab the tweezers, but freezing them off does make a lot of sense and avoid squeezing poison into your system. We (apparently) don’t have ticks that carry Lyme disease where I live, but if you’re in the US, then it’s even more important to get it off without injecting their poison into you.

filmfann's avatar

Using tweezers can increase the chance of Lyme disease.
Better than tweezers: Two credit cards. Slide them under the tick on either side, until they meet. Lift them up to remove the tick.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Just pull it off. Keep an eye on it. If it turns red and starts swelling, go to the doc.

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