Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRemoval MethodsIf EmbeddedRisks of DelayAftercare
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Removal Methods
If Embedded
Risks of Delay
Aftercare
If you see a tick on you or someone else, there are simple ways to safely remove it, whether it has burrowed under the skin or not. Prompt removal is the key to avoiding tick-related disease, but it’s not a difficult process. Various tools can be used to remove ticks, keeping a few pointers in mind.
Methods to Remove a Tick
Methods fortick removalinclude devices like small “tick spoons” or “tick keys,” but a pair of household tweezers with a fine point will do the job well. Don’t use your fingers because squeezing the tick could release infected blood or saliva into your skin.
Here are the steps to effective tick removal:
If you find the tick hard to grasp, you can try looping a strand of thread around the jaws (the part of the tick’s head attached to the skin) or pushing a needle between the jaws to give you a better grip with the tweezers.
There are several myths about tick removal that are not effective:
A tick transmits diseases likeLyme diseaseandRocky Mountain spotted feveronly after it attaches and feeds. Tick saliva can also lead to other kinds of infections or allergic reactions.
If you find a tickcrawling on your skin, don’t try to flick it off with your hand because you don’t want to come in contact with its mouth.Instead, use tweezers to remove it, even if it has not attached. Put the tick in a plastic bag or container, soak it in rubbing alcohol to kill it, and dispose of it carefully.
On Someone Else
If you are removing a tick from another person, stay calm. It will be easier to grasp the tick if the person does not flinch.
If you are removing a tick from a child, you can reduce the amount of pulling on the skin if you press down with the fingers of your other hand on either side of the tick. This can help reduce any discomfort as you pull it out.
On Yourself
If you see a tick on your own body that is easily reachable, you can remove it using a tweezer or other device. Remember to pull straight up when you remove it, with a steady pressure. If it’s awkward to see or grasp the tick, get someone to help you so that you remove it as soon as you can.
How to Remove a Tick on a PetRemove a tick on an animal the same way you would for humans. Take a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick, and pull it up with steady, even pressure. If your pet is wriggly, get someone to hold them.If you’re using a tick removal device, slide it under the tick and pull it out. Once the tick is removed, clean the area with an antiseptic, such as rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to get any blood or tick saliva on you. Keep an eye on the area and look for signs of infection. If you see any, contact a veterinarian.
How to Remove a Tick on a Pet
Remove a tick on an animal the same way you would for humans. Take a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick, and pull it up with steady, even pressure. If your pet is wriggly, get someone to hold them.If you’re using a tick removal device, slide it under the tick and pull it out. Once the tick is removed, clean the area with an antiseptic, such as rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to get any blood or tick saliva on you. Keep an eye on the area and look for signs of infection. If you see any, contact a veterinarian.
Remove a tick on an animal the same way you would for humans. Take a pair of tweezers, grasp the tick, and pull it up with steady, even pressure. If your pet is wriggly, get someone to hold them.
If you’re using a tick removal device, slide it under the tick and pull it out. Once the tick is removed, clean the area with an antiseptic, such as rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to get any blood or tick saliva on you. Keep an eye on the area and look for signs of infection. If you see any, contact a veterinarian.
Removal for Tick Embedded Under the Skin
A tick is embedded when you can only see the body because its head is burrowed beneath the skin. If a tick is embedded:
Risks of Delaying Tick Removal
The most important step inremoving ticksis to do it promptly. A tick needs about 36 to 48 hours of feeding to transmit Lyme disease, but othertick-borne diseasescan be transmitted more quickly—within about 15 minutes.The sooner you get it out, the less chance you have of contracting a disease.
If you’ve been in an area with ticks, examine your skin, including your scalp, carefully. Ticks inject substances that are in their saliva to firmly attach their feeding tubes to your skin and numb the area so you may not feel a tick bite.
Tick Bite Aftercare
Clean and disinfect the areawith soap and water and a disinfectant like rubbing alcohol. You might see a small bump like a pimple, which is a normal response to a tick bite.
Keep checking the area for about 30 days. If you see signs of an infection or tick-borne illness, such as a rash, or feel ill after being in a tick-infested area, contact a healthcare provider.
Not everyone will show visible signs of a tick bite, but a rash, fever, chills, headache, or body aches may mean you have contracted atick-borne illness.
Summary
Removing a tick, whether it is attached to you or not, is straightforward. Remove it as soon as possible. Grasp the tick with clean tweezers or a tick-removal device and pull steadily, straight up.
If the head remains embedded, you can carefully move a little skin with a sterilized needle to see if you can reveal it and pull it out. Clean and disinfect the area and monitor it for 30 days, or contact a healthcare provider if you feel ill.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.American Academy of Pediatrics.How to remove a tick.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Removing ticks: the do’s and don’ts.Nuttall PA.Tick saliva and its role in pathogen transmission.Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2023;135(7-8):165-176. doi:10.1007/s00508-019-1500-yThe Humane Society of the United States.What to do if you find a tick on your dog.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite:what to do.Tick Talk.The mechanics of a tick bite.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tickborne disease.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.American Academy of Pediatrics.How to remove a tick.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Removing ticks: the do’s and don’ts.Nuttall PA.Tick saliva and its role in pathogen transmission.Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2023;135(7-8):165-176. doi:10.1007/s00508-019-1500-yThe Humane Society of the United States.What to do if you find a tick on your dog.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite:what to do.Tick Talk.The mechanics of a tick bite.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tickborne disease.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.American Academy of Pediatrics.How to remove a tick.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Removing ticks: the do’s and don’ts.Nuttall PA.Tick saliva and its role in pathogen transmission.Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2023;135(7-8):165-176. doi:10.1007/s00508-019-1500-yThe Humane Society of the United States.What to do if you find a tick on your dog.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite:what to do.Tick Talk.The mechanics of a tick bite.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tickborne disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.
American Academy of Pediatrics.How to remove a tick.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Removing ticks: the do’s and don’ts.
Nuttall PA.Tick saliva and its role in pathogen transmission.Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2023;135(7-8):165-176. doi:10.1007/s00508-019-1500-y
The Humane Society of the United States.What to do if you find a tick on your dog.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite:what to do.
Tick Talk.The mechanics of a tick bite.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tickborne disease.
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