Tick Removal & Tickborne Illness

What to do

Remove a tick

1Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with clean fine-tipped tweezers, gripping near the head, not the body.
2Pull straight away from the skin with steady, even pressure. Do NOT twist or jerk — that can snap the mouthparts off in the skin.
3If the mouthparts break off, try to remove them with tweezers; if they won't come easily, leave them — the skin will push them out.
4Dispose of the live tick without crushing it — seal it in a container, wrap it in tape, put it in alcohol, or flush it.
5Clean the bite and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer.
6Do a full tick check — where there's one, there may be others.

After the bite

1Note the date and where you likely picked up the tick.
2Watch for symptoms for several weeks — especially a rash (which may spread out from the bite) or a fever.
3See a doctor if a rash or fever develops, and tell them about the bite, when it happened, and where.

Any time in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas — hikes, camp, trail work — where ticks wait on vegetation.
The routine "tick check" at the end of an outdoor day — scalp, waistband, armpits, and behind the knees.
Knowing a rash or fever weeks after a trip can trace back to a tick bite you may not remember.

Remove it promptly — don't wait for a clinic. The longer a tick stays attached, the higher the chance it passes on a disease.
Never use heat, petroleum jelly, or nail polish to make a tick detach — that agitates it and can push infected fluid into the skin. Tweezers are the only recommended method.
Don't crush a tick with your fingers — handle and dispose of it without squeezing.
Don't rely on tick testing to decide about treatment — if you get sick, get care rather than waiting on a test.
A spreading rash or a fever after a bite is a see-a-doctor sign. Tickborne diseases are treatable, and earlier is better.
Prevention beats removal: repellent, treated or covering clothing, staying on trails, and daily tick checks.

Why prompt removal works. Many tickborne pathogens take hours of attachment to transmit, so getting the tick off quickly meaningfully lowers the risk.
Lyme and others. Lyme disease is the most familiar in much of the U.S. — a spreading rash (classically an expanding "bull's-eye," though not always) and flu-like symptoms can appear days to weeks after a bite. Other tickborne diseases cause fever and rash too and are region-dependent.
The tick-check ritual. Ticks like warm, hidden spots — scalp and hairline, ears, armpits, waistband, groin, behind knees — so check there and have a buddy check your back.

This is general health information, not a substitute for professional care. A rash or fever after a tick bite is a reason to see a doctor.