Protect yourself from tick bites.
Ticks are small bugs that feed on human and animal blood. They can spread infections and transmit diseases, the most common being Lyme disease in humans. Ticks are often found in humid wooden areas, grass and mountains. They are also commonly found on outdoor pets, who then bring the ticks inside the home. Because they can transmit disease, it's important to prevent and treat tick bites as soon as they are found.
Instructions
Prevention
1. Maintain your lawn if you have one. Cut your grass frequently as ticks often reside in taller grass. Rake and dispose of dead leaves on your lawn. Consider the use of outdoor chemical repellents if ticks have been a frequent problem for you or one of your neighbors in the past.
2. Tuck your pants into your socks and wear long-sleeve shirts if you're going to be spending a lot of time outdoors in areas where ticks may reside. Consider wearing light-colored clothes as well, since this would make it easier to spot any ticks crawling on you.
3. Use a DEET bug repellent on your skin. When applied, DEET can protect your body for several hours. If you want to treat boots, camping equipment and other clothing, use a permethrin repellent. Carefully follow the directions on the bottle when using any kind of repellent.
4. Inspect your clothes for ticks before entering your home. If you find any, immediately remove them and put your clothes in a dryer on high heat to kill any remaining ticks.
5. Consider the use of a tick collar on any outdoor pets you may have.
Treatment
6. Disinfect the bitten area with a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol.
7. Remove the tick if it's still stuck inside your skin. Use tweezers or put on some disposable gloves before touching the tick. Gently pull out the tick from your skin using the tweezers or your fingers. Make sure not to make any sudden jerks or twists when removing the tick as this may leave the tick's mouth parts stuck in your skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dispose of the tick. Do not crush or kill it in your hands as doing so might contaminate your hands with the tick's blood and cause infection.
8. Avoid scratching your tick bites. Although tempting, this will aggravate the bite and cause swelling.
9. Consider the use of calamine, zinc oxide or topical steroid ointments. These over-the-counter options will reduce any pain or inflammation from the bite.
10. Put ice on the bite for 15 minutes at a time. An ice pack, crushed ice in a towel or a bag of frozen vegetables will all do the trick. Make sure not to keep the ice on for over 20 minutes in one sitting as this can cause frostbite.
11. Contact a doctor if you start getting headaches, fever or chills after being bitten by a tick. These might be indicators of an infection.
Tags: your skin, tick bites, Make sure, outdoor pets, your clothes, your hands, your lawn