Remove ticks ASAP!
There is no need to wait for a doctor to remove it. You can do it yourself at home! Here's how:
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Use tweezers to grasp tick as close to skin as possible and pull up with a slow, steady pressure. The skin may stretch/"tent" a little before the tick dislodges, that is normal. Watch a video tutorial!
- Sanitize the bite site and treat like any skin wound.
- Monitor for symptoms of a tickborne illness (fever, muscle aches, rash, etc.) and visit your doctor if any develop.
- We offer FREE tick identification for Monmouth County residents. Knowing the tick's species, life stage, and engorgement level can inform the level of risk from a tick bite. Save the tick in a sealed ziploc bag and bring it to our office! Click here for more information about this service.
Important notes:
- If you don't have tweezers on hand, use your fingernails! The important thing is to get it out quickly.
- If pieces of mouthparts remain in the skin, do not worry. There is no additional risk of disease transmission from mouthparts without the body attached - treat like a splinter.
- Finding one tick means you were in tick habitat and could have others - do a thorough tick check on yourself and your family.
- Some ticks, like lone star ticks can produce very itchy or irritated bites, this does not necessarily mean a disease was transmitted. For more information about Alpha-Gal Syndrome associated with lone star ticks, click here.
For more information:
CDC's Tick Bite page
CDC Tick Removal Fact Sheet