4 Things You Should Never, Ever Do If You Find A Tick Embedded In Your Skin

If you like to spend time outside over the summer, you know that you always need to check your body for ticks.

Ticks, which are small arachnids (like spiders), live by feeding on the blood of other animals, including humans.

These tiny bugs, which are often no larger than the head of a pin, can cause serious damage when they make themselves at home on animals or humans.

Ticks can spread a variety of diseases. The most notorious is Lyme disease, but ticks can also spread Powassan disease and many other serious illnesses.

The best way to avoid these problems is to avoid ticks altogether by using bug repellents and thick clothing, but obviously these methods aren’t foolproof.

If you do find a tick on yourself, a family member, or a pet, it’s important to know how to remove a tick properly in order to avoid some detrimental problems.

Read the guidelines below to find out exactly how you should — and shouldn’t — remove a tick.

Every time you go outside, especially after going hiking or spending time in densely wooded areas or areas with tall grass, you need to check for ticks — not just on yourself, but on your family members and pets.

If you do find a tick on your skin, follow the steps below to remove it properly.

The Right Way #1: Use Fine-Tipped Tweezers

One of the most important things to do when it comes to removing ticks is to use the right tools.

The Center for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) explains that you should only use fine-tipped tweezers when trying to remove a tick.

The Right Way #2: Grasp The Tick As Close To The Skin’s Surface As Possible

Using your fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible.

Because ticks enter the skin using their mouths, you should try to grab the tick as close to its mouth as you can — the body of the tick will be the part that is sticking out of your skin.

WebMD explains that you should not squeeze the tick around its belly because you could push the infected fluid into your body.

The Right Way #3: Pull Upward With Steady Pressure

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