How to Remove a Tick

Tick_RemovalIn South Florida, it is a good possibility that you will sooner or later, run into a tick or two.

Removing a tick may become necessary at one point or another.

Anyone who loves animals has experienced this bloodsucker before.

If you find a tick attached to you, it’s ok, don’t worry. Removing it is rather easy.

All you need is a plain old set of  tweezers and you can remove a tick quite effectively.

How to Remove a Tick Properly

  • Use a set of  tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible.
  • Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this will
  • cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the tick’s skin.
  • If this does happen, remove the mouth-parts with fine tweezers. If you are unable to
  • remove the mouth easily with clean-fine tweezers, leave it, and let the skin heal over it.

tweezers pulling a tick away from the skin in an upward motion

  • After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands, with rubbing alcohol, or soap and water.
  • Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
  • Don’t crush a tick with your fingers.
outline of tick

Follow-up

See a doctor if rash or fever occurs within a few weeks of the tick encounter.

Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where

you most likely picked up the tick.