It’s every adventurer’s fear: something – anything! – that stands between you and the wild. While tick populations and Lyme disease infections steadily rise year after year, it is no surprise that many people find ticks attached to them after a stroll through the wilderness. What do you do if a tick bites you? Are there any helpful next steps you can take?
What to Do About Tick Bites – Checking Your Body
After spending time outdoors, especially in areas known for incessant tick populations, such as those covered in tall grass or wooded trails, it’s essential to perform a thorough check. It’s a simple step, but giving yourself a quick once-over ensures your safety—the earlier you spot a tick, the better.
The trouble, however, is spotting the ticks in the first place. The most dangerous consequence of a tick bite is Lyme disease, which is found in black-legged or deer ticks. These insects can be the size of a poppy seed, making them that much harder to spot.
So, what to do if a tick bite happens to you? Their favorite places are in the scalp, armpits, groin area, and behind the ears. Ticks can attach anywhere on your body, but these are the major places to check. Use a handheld mirror or ask a friend to help you check harder-to-see spots. If you brought a pet along, don’t forget to check them, too, especially around their neck, ears, and belly.
Ticks come in a variety of shapes and sizes – it’s important to know what they look like. Photo Credit: Tick Encounter Resource Center
Stay Calm
If you do find a tick, don’t panic. Getting anxious will only make you stress out more, and it will make it more difficult to focus on what you need to do next.
How to Safely Remove Ticks?
Of course, understanding what to do about a tick bite isn’t just about checking yourself and being calm—you have to get the damn thing off somehow, too. Here’s a process for you to follow.
Get the Tweezers Out
Using tweezers, gently and carefully reach underneath the head of the tick to pull out the entire bug. The mouth of the tick is attached deep inside the skin, and it is important to remove the entire tick. If you only tweeze the tick’s body, it will release all of its stomach contents underneath your skin, giving you a higher chance of contracting an infection from the tick.
Post-Removal Care
After removing the tick, the next step is to thoroughly clean and disinfect the area to minimize the risk of infection. To sanitize the skin around the tick bite, use soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or an iodine scrub.
Then, wash your hands carefully to prevent spreading any bacteria. Over the next few days, monitor the bite area for any swelling, redness, or itching, as these could indicate a sign of infection.
Identify what kind of tick you may have found. Photo Credit: Tick Encounter Resource Center
Freeze the Tick
Package the tick in a plastic freezer bag and save the tick so a lab can use Lyme tests against it. There are also online resources (like the Tick Encounter Resource Center) where you can send a picture of the tick. Scientists there will identify the kind of tick to tell you your chances of Lyme disease.
Recognize ticks on the spot! Photo Credit: Tick Encounter Resource Center
Resources
After removing the tick, look at a map to see the prevalence of Lyme disease in your area. Some regions have higher rates of the illness than others, so you want to have an idea of your risk. If you live in a higher-risk area, then it is important to visit your doctor. If you live in a lower-risk area, you can choose to trust that it wasn’t an infected tick, or you can go to your doctor to make sure.
Watch Your Health
Over the next several months, watch for signs of Lyme disease. Look for any red rash or a rash that’s a bullseye or target symbol; keep in mind that not all Lyme disease rashes look like targets or bullseyes.
What to Do If a Tick Bite Causes Symptoms?
Say you’ve done all of the above: acted quickly, removed the whole tick with surgical precision, and cleaned the area around the bite. If, despite this, you still start to experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, or joint pain in the weeks following a tick bite, contact your doctor. Inform them about when and where this bite occurred so they can direct you for proper testing and treatment. Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are very treatable, provided you get on antibiotics as soon as possible.
How to Avoid Tick Bites?
Prevention is the best method, as always. When hiking or spending time outdoors, wear light-colored and long-sleeved clothing. Lighter hues will make the dark ticks easier to spot and swipe away, while long-sleeved T-shirts and pants provide a simple but effective barrier between the tick and your skin.
Additionally, use a tick repellent with at least 20 to 30% DEET, picaridin, or IR3535. Treat your gear with permethrin for a compounding effect and even more protection. To avoid running into ticks as much as possible, stick to the middle of the trail and avoid brushing up against the vegetation off to the side, as that’s where ticks dwell most often. Once you’re back home from your adventure, hop in the shower and wash your clothes to kill any unwanted hitchhikers.
What to Do If a Tick Bites You – Visit Appalachian Outfitters Beforehand!
At Appalachian Outfitters, we carry a variety of sprays and bug repellents that ward away mosquitoes – as well as ticks. We also carry clothing that is integrated with sprays that will deter pests from biting you. Visit us before you head outdoors to help prevent tick bites and Lyme disease!
You may also read: 5 Reasons You Should Go Hiking