Ticks only bury their heads under the skin so that they can feed on the blood of their host, whether that is a human or an animal. The more they feed, the bigger their bodies get until they look like a grey pea attached to the skin. The trouble with ticks is that they can transmit diseases including Lyme Disease, so if you have a tick then you need to remove it immediately.
That is easier said than done because ticks have a tendency to cement themselves to you so that they can get their fill before dropping off. The last thing that you should do is to apply heat, alcohol, petroleum jelly or any other chemicals to the tick because this will cause it pain and may lead to it regurgitating its infected stomach contents underneath your skin.
You can get a tick removal tool, which makes the job simple, but if you haven’t got one of these then you can uses blunt tweezers. You will need to get hold of the tick as close to your skin as you can possible get, and pull upwards using even, steady pressure. Be prepared for some resistance. Don’t try to twist the tick because this could result in the head becoming detached and staying underneath your skin, which can lead to infection. Never grab the tick round its abdomen because you could push its stomach contents back into you, and never try to remove the tick with your fingers.
The last warning is because if the tick is infected it can quite easily pass any infection to you through any lesions or breaks in the skin that you may have round your fingernails. Once the tick is completely out, make sure that you treat the affected area with antiseptic. If you have any signs of illness, see your doctor immediately.
That is easier said than done because ticks have a tendency to cement themselves to you so that they can get their fill before dropping off. The last thing that you should do is to apply heat, alcohol, petroleum jelly or any other chemicals to the tick because this will cause it pain and may lead to it regurgitating its infected stomach contents underneath your skin.
You can get a tick removal tool, which makes the job simple, but if you haven’t got one of these then you can uses blunt tweezers. You will need to get hold of the tick as close to your skin as you can possible get, and pull upwards using even, steady pressure. Be prepared for some resistance. Don’t try to twist the tick because this could result in the head becoming detached and staying underneath your skin, which can lead to infection. Never grab the tick round its abdomen because you could push its stomach contents back into you, and never try to remove the tick with your fingers.
The last warning is because if the tick is infected it can quite easily pass any infection to you through any lesions or breaks in the skin that you may have round your fingernails. Once the tick is completely out, make sure that you treat the affected area with antiseptic. If you have any signs of illness, see your doctor immediately.
