What to do after the tick bite?
The tick bite is painless, so it is difficult to immediately notice that we have an uninvited arachnid in our skin. When going for a walk in the woods or other natural areas where ticks live, it is worth wearing long pants and sleeves, covering exposed skin and wear light color clothes to spot ticks easier and get them off immediately. Also, after returning home carefully check the body for the possible presence of the parasite, paying particular attention to the areas like armpits, groins, elbow and knee bends and hair. When you realize you brought the tick home act immediately. In our step-by-step guide, we suggest what to do when a tick bites.
Rule number one
Do not wait for the tick to come out by itself. Underestimating the threat is asking for trouble. Let’s not forget that in some regions of Europe, even every third tick is a carrier of pathogens including Borrelia bacterium, which cause Lyme disease and the consequences of this disease may be serious.
Studies have also shown that the transmission of pathogens increases approximately 24 hours after bite. This means that even if the tick was the carrier of a serious disease, removing it from the body immediately after the bite has a good chance of avoiding problems.
Besides, there is one more reason why you should remove the tick from the body as soon as possible. The parasite clings more and more into the host’s body every hour, sinking the mouthpiece into subsequent layers of the skin. Getting rid of it immediately after a bite or shortly after contact will significantly facilitate the removal of the arachnid and minimize the risk of tearing its body.
Tick attached into the skin – what to do?
First of all, do not panic and do not go to the emergency room seeking help. As long as there is a possible way of removing the tick at home try to do so. Of course, make sure you have the appropriate equipment.
What does it mean? Let’s start from listing the items that absolutely shouldn’t be used. Cosmetic tweezers top the list. It may come as a surprise to many people, but you should know that the tips of the tweezers are very sharp which cannot only cause a damage to the ticks body, but most of all, they might tear the tick and that is problematic.
Another item that you should never use to remove a tick is a wire. Unfortunately, many people still believe that this method of „picking out the tick” from under the skin is working. This is a terrible idea, which not only causes pain, but also irritates the parasite which in its defense reaction begins to secrete more body fluids containing pathogenic pathogens.
Warning!
For the same reason, never use other home methods of removing ticks, such as burning, smothering it with petroleum jelly or coating it with nail polish. They are ineffective and very risky at the same time.
So, what to use to remove the embedded tick from the skin?
The Kick The Tick Expert kit is definitely the best solution. The remover tool included in the set has two tips sized to match the size of the tick (one tip for an adult, the other one for a nymph). The tip enable a very accurate, stable grip of the tick close to the skin, thanks to which the removal of the parasite is simple and will not cause any problems even to a person who has never done it before.
Good to know
The Kick The Tick Expert kit will be very helpful if you want to remove a tick from a child’s body, and also from the body of an adult or even a pet.
Additionally, the set includes a special agent for freezing ticks with Anti-Parasite Removal Film technology. Its use significantly minimizes the risk of the tick tearing during removal, as well as protects against the transmission of the parasite’s body fluids to the bloodstream of the host. Such a set should be in every household first aid kit.
What should you look for after removing the tick?
The body site after removing the parasite should be observed for several weeks. Local redness may occur shortly after the procedure is done. Don’t panic right away. This may be an allergic reaction to the substances in the tick’s saliva that prevent blood from clotting. The erythema migratory rash, characteristic for Lyme infection, has a specific appearance and usually appears in average 7-10 days after removing the tick. You should see your doctor as soon as possible as this is a typical symptom of Lyme disease. Do the same in case of noticing other disturbing symptoms, such as fever, chill, fatigue, nervousness, insomnia, muscle and body pain.