It is important to take the necessary precautions to help prevent any tick borne illnesses by using small pointy tweezers and grasping the tick as close to the head as possible and pulling straight out without yanking. It is always a good idea to keep handy a tick kit including small pointy tweezers preferably with attached magnifier, non-latex gloves, small pencil, alcohol prep pads, zip lock bags, tick identification and removal information card.
1. It is important not to touch the tick when removing it so avoid handling ticks with uncovered fingers. Use tweezers designed for removal. If you absolutely must use your hands, protect your fingers with non-latex gloves, plastic or even a paper towel.
2. Take the tweezers and place them around the area where the mouth of the tick enter the skin.
3. Using a slow steady motion, pull the tick away from the skin. Be careful not to jerk, crush, squeeze or puncture the tick.
4. After you remove the tick, place it directly into a Ziploc bag or other sealable container. Wash the area around the site of the bite with soap and water. Use an alcohol pad to disinfect it even further.
5. If possible, keep the tick alive for a month in case symptoms of a tick borne illness develop. Place the tick in a labeled, sealed bag with a lightly moistened paper towel. Label the bag with the date of the bite and the patient. For your own protection, tape around the Ziploc part of the bag to prevent the tick from exiting the bag.
Photo courtesy of "Georgia Faces" (The University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences)
Jennifer ~
The Tick Lady
P.S
It is important not to twist or unscrew the tick out because you could wind up leaving the head inside your skin. Also it might irritate the tick and cause the the tick to regurgitate it's stomach contents into you (which is also why we place the tweezers as close to the entry as possible in order to avoid the abdomen of the tick)
