With summer on it's way, it will soon be tick season. The little bloodsuckers will be hatching out and seeking food before long. Here are some ideas on how to remove a tick once it has attached itself to you.

Forget about touching a lighted match to the tick, this works, but it causes the tick to regurgitate. This in turn puts you at risk of catching any disease the tick may have. Don't stress the tick in any way, and by all means don't just grab it and pull it off.

This can leave the head firmly embedded in your skin, or it also can cause the contents of the tick to enter your bloodstream. Again, don't stress the tick.

One thing that will work, but may take a little time is smothering the tick with petroleum jelly. When he realizes that he can't breathe, he will back out of your skin seeking air. This does take several minutes though, if you are like me, this is not acceptable. The tick has got to go!

Tweezers are the best method for tick removal, get as close to the head as possible and squeeze just enough to grasp the tick. Wiggle it back and forth as you pull. Chances are you will pull a tiny piece of skin off with the tick, this is good, it means you got all of the tick.

Clean up the spot with alcohol, and you should be just fine. If you notice any swelling or tenderness after a day or so, by all means see a doctor.

If you give yourself a good all over inspection each time you come inside, you can catch a lot of these little devils before they attach themselves to you. Also tuck your trouser legs into your socks while outside, this forces the tick to crawl up your leg, and hopefully you will see him before he bites.

Learn more about this author, Chris Con.
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