School is over and the weather is set for kids and adults to spend a lot more time outside this season. Unfortunately, that also means it is tick season. It’s tough to say how dire any given tick season will be, but if you find a tick on yourself or someone else, don’t panic! Consumer Reports says to use these steps for removing a tick:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Once you have a firm grasp, pull upward with steady, even force. Don’t twist or jerk the tick because you might cause its mouth to break off and remain in the skin.
- If you do accidentally break the tick in half, try removing the mouth with the tweezers. If you can’t, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- You can dispose of the tick in one of several ways: submerse it in alcohol, place it in a sealed bag or container, wrap it tightly in tape, or flush it down the toilet. (Never handle a tick with your bare fingers; pathogens called spirochetes can pass from the tick to you through even tiny breaks in your skin.)
- Once the tick is disposed of, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
- Check the bite area for several weeks after removal. If you develop a rash there (or have a fever at any point in that time frame), see a doctor about getting tested for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
For more information on what to do and what not to do when dealing with ticks feel free to read an article on this topic from Consumer Reports by clicking HERE.