If you find a deer tick embedded in your skin, don’t panic. If you follow a few simple steps you can safely remove the tick and reduce your chance of contracting Lyme disease.
The first thing is to relax. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease. According to Kirby Strafford, Ph.D., if you find and remove the tick within 24 hours there is practically zero chance you will contract Lyme disease. On average, deer ticks do not start to transmit Lyme disease until 36 to 48 hours after attaching to the skin.
Deer ticks are common in backyard gardens, lawns, rock piles, damp wood, or any shady damp site. If you have pets, the family dog or cat can be a leading carrier of ticks to you and your family. Given this, if you spend any amount of time out of doors, or have pets which do, you should be checking yourself and your family for ticks.
If you have a tick embedded in your skin, take these steps as soon as possible. Grasp the tick as close to the point of entry as possible with a pair of pointed high precision tweezers. This will be at the mouthpart or head of the tick. Pull the tick straight out slowly while applying a steady even pressure. Never twist or turn the tweezers as this could force more organisms into your body or possibly have the head or mouthparts break off and be left in your skin. If the tick is located in a difficult area to reach by yourself, get someone else to remove it for you if possible to have the best chance of proper removal.
It is not unusual to get more than one tick at a time, so if you find one tick make sure you do a thorough search for any others that may have attached to the skin as well.
If you have securely grasped the tick as close to the skin as possible and followed the steps above the head and mouthparts should come out intact with the tick. Once the tick is removed, clean the site well with rubbing alcohol or some other disinfectant. You can kill the tick by putting it in rubbing alcohol.
Remember, if you find a deer tick early your chance of contracting Lyme disease is very small. Keep an eye on the bite site for several weeks to see if a rash develops, especially the tell tale bulls eye rash. If you suspect you may have contracted Lyme disease, a blood test can ease your mind. Lyme disease can effectively be treated with antibiotics and if diagnosed early is almost always cured.
Sources:
Kirby C. Strafford, III, Ph.D., Tick Management Handbook, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Melissa Kaplan, Lyme Disease, Anapsid.org Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases Information Resources
American Lyme Disease Foundation, aldf.com
