Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Revmoving the Tick
Securing & Photographing It
Cleansing the Area
Seeking Medical Care
Trying OTC Treatments
Although most tick bites are not harmful, ticks can transmit diseases (some of them serious) if they’re not treated promptly. It’s essential to properly follow steps to take after atick biteand know when to contact your healthcare provider.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoReproduced with permission from ©DermNetdermnetnz.org2023.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from ©DermNetdermnetnz.org2023.
1. Take Immediate Action After a Tick Bite
Ticks must attach to you to spread diseases. If you have been in an area where there may be ticks, do atick checkafterward. Pay close attention to your scalp, armpits, ears, waist, and navel, as well as the rest of your body. If you find a tick,do the following as soon as possible:
Don’t use nail polish, Vaseline (petroleum jelly), or heat to try to make the tick detach.These are unreliable methods that can delay tick removal. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as you can.
2. Secure the Tick and Take a Picture
Keep the tick in the tweezers, put it on a paper towel or tissue, and take a picture of it. That will help a healthcare provideridentify what kind of tick bite youand if it is one that can cause disease. You may not need to see a provider, but it’s a good idea to take the photo.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend sending a tick to a commercial lab yourself, as the results may not be dependable.
3. Cleanse and Protect the Area
After you remove the tick, it’s important to cleanse the area.Use warm water and a gentle soap to cleanse your hands and the bite. You may also (or instead if soap and water are not available) apply antiseptic, such as rubbing alcohol or an iodine scrub, to kill any germs on the bite.
It’s not necessary to cover or bandage the bite afterward.
4. When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
If you cannot remove the tick because it’s burrowed under the skin or it’s too hard to grasp, see a healthcare provider. Most ticks don’t cause disease. Still, there are close to 500,000 cases of tick-borne disease a year in the United States.
Watch forsymptoms for 30 days after a tick bite. If you see any of the following, contact a healthcare provider:
Seek immediate medical care if you develop any of these signs. Some may indicate a skin infection that needs treatment, while others may indicate a tick-borne disease:
If you develop symptoms of tick-borne disease such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, your healthcare provider mayprescribe a course of antibiotics.
In some cases, a blood test can help identify whether you are at risk and which illness you have. If you took a photo of the tick or have kept it in a safe container, show it to your healthcare provider so your provider can choose the best treatment.
The CDC does not generally recommend taking antibiotics after a tick bite if you don’t have symptoms.If you live in an area where Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases are more common, you can ask a healthcare provider about a single dose of the antibiotic Vibramycin (doxycycline), which may prevent Lyme disease from developing.
6. Try OTC Treatments for Tick Bites to Find Relief
Even if a tick bite does not present a disease risk, it may still itch or cause discomfort. Here’s what you can do at home to relieve the symptoms of a tick bite when you know that it is not from a tick-borne illness:
The bite should heal within a few days, or it may take up to two weeks or more.
A Word From VerywellTo prevent ticks from getting to your skin and biting you, wear long sleeves and pants and use insect repellent. The second line of defense is checking yourself and/or your buddy for ticks and taking a shower.—MARY JOSEPHINE HESSERT, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
To prevent ticks from getting to your skin and biting you, wear long sleeves and pants and use insect repellent. The second line of defense is checking yourself and/or your buddy for ticks and taking a shower.—MARY JOSEPHINE HESSERT, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
To prevent ticks from getting to your skin and biting you, wear long sleeves and pants and use insect repellent. The second line of defense is checking yourself and/or your buddy for ticks and taking a shower.
—MARY JOSEPHINE HESSERT, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Summary
If you have been in an area that may be infested with ticks, check your body afterward to see if any ticks are attached to you. If they are, it’s important toremove them quicklybecause they can carry disease and make you sick.
Remove the tick carefully with tweezers and take a picture of it. If you develop flu-like symptoms, pain, swelling, or drainage from the bite, contact a healthcare provider. Most tick bites do not cause disease, but if you do have one and give it prompt attention, a short course of antibiotics can often treat it.
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.Kallini JR, Khachemoune A.Ticks and tick bites presenting as “funny moles”: a review of different presentations and a focus on tick-borne diseases.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(3):46-50. (no doi)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite: what to do.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.U.S Department of Health and Human Services.Tick-borne disease working group.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tick-borne disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anaplasmosis.Mount Sinai.Tick bite.MyHealth Alberta.Tick bite: care instructions.
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.Kallini JR, Khachemoune A.Ticks and tick bites presenting as “funny moles”: a review of different presentations and a focus on tick-borne diseases.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(3):46-50. (no doi)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite: what to do.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.U.S Department of Health and Human Services.Tick-borne disease working group.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tick-borne disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anaplasmosis.Mount Sinai.Tick bite.MyHealth Alberta.Tick bite: care instructions.
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.
Kallini JR, Khachemoune A.Ticks and tick bites presenting as “funny moles”: a review of different presentations and a focus on tick-borne diseases.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(3):46-50. (no doi)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite: what to do.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.U.S Department of Health and Human Services.Tick-borne disease working group.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tick-borne disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anaplasmosis.Mount Sinai.Tick bite.MyHealth Alberta.Tick bite: care instructions.
Kallini JR, Khachemoune A.Ticks and tick bites presenting as “funny moles”: a review of different presentations and a focus on tick-borne diseases.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(3):46-50. (no doi)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tick bite: what to do.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.What to do after a tick bite.
U.S Department of Health and Human Services.Tick-borne disease working group.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About ticks and tick-borne disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anaplasmosis.
Mount Sinai.Tick bite.
MyHealth Alberta.Tick bite: care instructions.
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