How do I remove a tick?

If you find a tick on your skin, you need to remove it by pulling straight up, using fine-tip tweezers by the mouthparts of the tick. Public health specialist Peter DeLucia, MPA, discusses the best way to remove a tick properly.

Transcript

00:00

Don't try to burn the tick off. Don't try to smother it with Vaseline. Don't do anything like that. A lot of old wives' tales are out there.

00:07

The best way is with the fine tip tweezer by the mouthparts, straight out. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:19

The proper way to remove a tick is to use a fine tip tweezer to grab the tick right by the mouthparts, not the body.

00:27

You do not want to squeeze the body and squeeze what's in the tick back into you. So right by the mouthparts, grab it and pull firm and straightly

00:35

up. No twisting, nothing like that. Firm and straightly up. That's going to correctly remove the tick.

00:42

Don't try to burn the tick off. Don't try to smother it with Vaseline. Don't do anything like that. A lot of old wives' tales are out there.

00:49

The best way is with a fine tip tweezer by the mouthparts, straight out. If you're concerned about the tick

00:56

that you want to identify the tick to see if it is a potential tick that's going to carry Lyme disease, you could put it in a small vial

01:04

with some rubbing alcohol to kill it, and then keep it like that to be able to submit to somewhere who can test the tick.

01:11

You want to look online. Call your local health department and see if they have any services for tick identification.

01:18

The key for you is not tick identification, but to watch the area where you removed the tick.

01:24

You could put a little disinfectant on it. But watch it. See if you develop a rash or if you develop any flu-like symptoms.

01:32

Anything like that, make sure you go to the doctor and seek medical attention. [AUDIO LOGO]