We take out the tick correctly

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

In total, scientists have registered about 650 species of ticks that feed on human blood. And almost all of them are carriers of infections, for example, encephalitis and borreliosis.

It is impossible to feel the tick bite due to the pain relieving components in its saliva. Therefore, it is often necessary to decide how to remove a tick from a person already at home after returning from a walk or hike.

Prevention of bites

Parasitic spiders prefer moist, dark places. In the sun in hot weather, they die quickly enough. Therefore, the peak of the danger of bites falls on the transitional seasons of spring and autumn. At this time, it is better to refrain from going out into nature.

Or you can use preventive measures:

1. Use deterrent chemicals. They can be freely purchased at any major store. Modern drugs reliably protect against ticks, mosquitoes and other parasites when going outdoors.
2. Wear closed clothing. The tick feeds by immersing its head in human skin. So the spider is not able to bite.
3. Inspect. After hitting the body for some time, the tick looks for the most convenient place to feed. At this stage, you can simply shake it off without fear of contracting infections.
4. Get a vaccination. Before the tick breeding season, it is best to visit the nearest clinic and inject a vaccine against the most dangerous parasite-borne diseases in the region. In this case, the bite of the parasite will no longer be so dangerous.

If possible, it is better not to try to remove a tick from a person at home. It is preferable to seek help from medical personnel who will conduct the procedure safer and check if there is a risk of infection.

How to remove a tick correctly

Before getting rid of a tick, you still need to find it. The arachnid prefers certain areas on the body where the skin is thinnest:

1. Head. First of all, it is necessary to examine the areas hidden under the hair, temples, the back of the head and behind the ears.
2. Extremities. Often the tick is attached to the back of the knee or elbow, under the armpits.
3. Groin. This area is especially vulnerable on beaches.

When deciding how to remove a tick at home from a person, you need to pay attention to 4 classic proven methods.

With bare hands

This is the most common way to get rid of the parasite when there are no other devices nearby and the opportunity to seek help from a doctor. If you disdain to touch the tick, you can take a clean handkerchief or wear rubber gloves. Next, you need to follow the instructions:

1. Grasp the attachment point with your fingers. The body should not be tugged, otherwise the head of the arachnid will come off and remain in the skin, increasing the chance of infection and secondary infection.
2. Pull out the tick with rotational movements in several approaches.
3. Check if the head or proboscis of the parasite is left in the skin.
4. Disinfect the bite site.
5. The best way to preserve the tick is by placing the body in a sterile, resealable container. And then take it to the laboratory to make sure there is no danger of contracting encephalitis or a similar disease.

If there is no suitable container at hand, after a tick has been removed from a person at home, it must be crushed or burned.

Tweezers

This is a more convenient tool. Especially when the parasite is small and has not yet had time to feed on blood. The method for removing a tick is similar to working with your bare hands.

But there are several nuances:

1. The tweezers are placed parallel to the skin. Holding the parasite perpendicular or at an angle is likely to crush it.
2. You need to control the effort being made. It is impossible to squeeze and jerk the tick strongly, so as not to break the body.
3. The most comfortable tweezers are curved. They are sold in pharmacies.

By thread

The method requires good eyesight and excellent dexterity. A thread or thin cord is twisted in a loop around the place where the tick head is attached and tightened. Then the parasite is removed with shaking movements.

Until the parasite gets drunk, it is very difficult to make a loop without a magnifying glass. There is also a great chance of breaking the spider. Therefore, it is preferable to always use other, more reliable methods.

Oil

The classic Soviet method of getting rid of ticks. But doctors don't approve of him. The bottom line is to put a ring on the skin and fill the tick with any oil. The parasite will not be able to breathe and will crawl out on its own. You don't even have to touch it.

It seems that the method is almost perfect. But there is a significant problem. Often the tick dies before it can leave the bite site. His little body is deflated and the sucked blood, mixed with the infection, returns to the bloodstream.

As a result, the risk of infection increases many times over, and the parasite still has to be removed by other methods.

Syringe

Another practically safe, non-contact method of getting rid of the parasite will require an insulin syringe and scissors. First you need to cut off the tip on which the needle should be attached. The resulting tube is then pressed firmly against the skin at the site of the bite. The air is pumped out by the piston, at the same time pulling out the tick.

The only downside to using a vacuum is a small, round bruise that will remain at the site of the bite.

Special equipment

Such a common problem prompted inventors to create more convenient devices for getting rid of parasites. You can buy them at a pharmacy or medical equipment. Pharmacists know about them as tools to get a tick out at home in humans.

Among the rich assortment of devices you can find:

• hooks that look like nail pullers of different sizes;
• slotted spoons;
• plates with slots, which are convenient to wear instead of key rings;
• minilasso;
• a variety of forceps, tweezers and pliers.

It is most convenient to purchase such devices in advance, so that at any time you can get rid of ticks most comfortably, quickly and safely. However, it is always best to use the help of a medical professional.