What to do if You're Bitten by a Tick
 

During the warmer months of the year is when you are most susceptible to a tick bite. Ticks can be very small and hard to detect. After you have spent time outdoors, especially in a wooded area, make sure you check yourself thoroughly as a tick can easily burrow into your scalp, behind your ears, around your ankles and on any other exposed areas of your body.


Removal


If you have detected a tick, removal can be performed with a small pair of tweezers. Be sure that you get the tick’s entire body, including its head, out of your skin. Failure to do so makes you more susceptible to a variety of health problems.


Never use petroleum jelly, rubbing alcohol or fire from a lighter to try and get the tick to remove itself from your skin. If anything, this may cause the tick to burrow even deeper inside. Also, never handle the tick with your bare hands.


Once the tick has been removed, wash the bite area with warm water and soap.


Monitor the skin carefully. If it becomes irritated, you can apply a small amount of antibiotic ointment.


Warning Signs


If you notice any of the following after the tick has been removed, or have any other symptoms you are concerned about, be sure to seek medical assistance as soon as possible as it may be an indication that you’ve been affected be a tick-borne disease:


  • Fever
  • Aches and pains
  • Chills
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Severe headache
  • Nausea

Get more tick bite treatment tips from WebMD.