How to Remove a Tick the Right Way (and Myths to Skip)
Finding a tick attached to your skin, or your child's, is unsettling. The good news is that removing it is quick when you know how. Here's exactly what I tell my patients, plus the popular "tricks" that can make things worse.
Why correct removal matters
How you remove the tick matters. Squeezing or irritating a tick can cause it to release more of its gut contents, and more bacteria, into the bite increasing risk of infection.
How to remove a tick, step by step
Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers.
Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, by the base of its head, not its body.
Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk.
Clean the bite area and your hands with alcohol, soap and water.
Tick removal myths to skip
These remedies are all over the internet, but they delay removal and can irritate the tick:
Nail polish or petroleum jelly to "smother" the tick
A hot match or other heat to make it back out
Essential oils dabbed on the tick
Crushing the tick between your fingers
Twisting or jerking the tick out
An irritated tick may release more of its gut contents into the bite. The goal is to get it out quickly and cleanly with tweezers.
Natural aftercare for the bite
After cleaning the bite, this is the aftercare I recommend in my practice:
Clean the bite with hydrogen peroxide.
Mix bentonite clay and andrographis to make a salve, and apply it to the bite site.
When it dries, remove it and apply andrographis on a cotton ball, held in place with a bandage or medical tape.
You can repeat this for 24 hours after the bite.
Aftercare supports the skin at the bite site. It doesn't replace a call to your healthcare provider.
Save the tick for testing
Don't throw the tick away or flush it. Testing the tick can show what type it is and which infections it carries, which helps your provider decide on next steps.
Place the tick, alive or dead, in a sealed plastic bag.
Order a test at tickreport.com, a tick testing service run by the Laboratory of Medical Zoology at UMass Amherst.
Write your order number on the bag and mail it to the lab address on your receipt.
Call your provider immediately
Call your healthcare provider right away, no matter how long the tick was attached. Don't wait for test results. Immediate intervention works best within 4 days of the bite.
Then watch for the development of any symptoms over the next 30 days, including:
A rash of any shape. Not every Lyme rash looks like a bullseye.
Fever, chills, or sweats
Fatigue
Headache or neck stiffness
Muscle or joint aches
Brain fog or trouble concentrating
If any symptoms develop, call your provider immediately.
Get the free Tick Bite Guide
My free Tick Bite Guide puts all of this in one printable place: prevention, safe removal, aftercare, and a bite record to track the date and any symptoms. Get it at drmarisahouser.com.
In Connecticut or Colorado? Book a telehealth visit with Dr. Houser or call (860) 228-1287.
Dr. Marisa Houser, ND, LAc., FMAPS, is a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist specializing in Lyme, vector-borne, and complex chronic illness, offering telehealth visits for patients in Connecticut and Colorado. This post is for education and isn't a substitute for personal medical advice.
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