How To Remove A Tick

Yes, ticks are creepy, especially when their pointy barbed heads are burrowed into your flesh. What to do? The Wall Street Journal has some advice, along with descriptions of several special tick removal devices that are, according to experts, no more effective at removing ticks than a good pair of fine-tipped tweezers. First, the journal warns, “although most tick-borne pathogens, including the one that causes Lyme disease, generally aren’t transmitted before the tick has been attached for at least 24 hours, a few may transmit more quickly.” In other words, get the tick off your body as soon as possible. Do not try the old trick of holding a lit match near the tick, hoping that it will back out. It won’t. Do grab the tick with the tweezers as close to your body as possible, and pull slowly. If some of the vile creature’s mouth parts remain embedded, don’t freak out. That may cause some redness and itching, but it won’t increase the likelihood of disease transmission. Once the tick is out, wash the area with soap and water, and keep an eye on it, looking for expanding redness for about two weeks. If the red mark left behind does expand, talk to your doctor.