Not pleasant. Moreover, it is potentially very dangerous. After all, through it you can become infected with serious infectious diseases. Therefore, the attached tick must be removed immediately. However, this is sometimes difficult to do. The head of an arthropod is easily separated from the body when trying to pull it out at home or field conditions and remains in the human body. What to do in such a situation? Let us reassure you right away - there is nothing super terrible, although particles of the parasite should be removed. But how do you get part of the tick out from under the skin? Now we'll tell you.
If, when removing the tick, you were unable to pull out its head, then it is all the more necessary to hurry. In this case, the infection process continues, because in the salivary glands and ducts of this arthropod the concentration of viruses is always high. However, try not to panic! Otherwise, in such an emotional state, and even in a hurry, you will only make it worse for yourself or the victim of a tick bite.
If, after removing the tick, a dark dot remains under the skin at the site of the bite, then most likely you were not able to remove the arthropod completely. There is a head left inside that needs to be removed.
What will you need?
Before you begin to remove the head, proboscis or part of the tick from the body, prepare the necessary tools and equipment. There are few of them, but you can’t do without them:
- Tweezers or tweezers (you can also find a special tool on sale for removing attached ticks).
- Needle.
- Thread or thin metal wire.
- Gauze/piece of clean cloth/handkerchief or something similar.
- Medical alcohol / vodka / brilliant green / iodine and other things that can be used to treat the bite site.
When you have it on hand minimum required- this means that the preparation is completed. Let's move on to decisive action.
How to remove a tick's head?
We are sure that you will be able to get the head or even half of a tick that has come off and remains under the skin. The main thing is not to be nervous and follow the following instructions:
If for some reason the actions described above do not bring results, then go to the hospital as quickly as possible. There, the surgeon (or another doctor) will quickly remove the proboscis or head of the tick that remains inside under the skin. When it comes to a child being bitten by a tick, any independent actions are prohibited! You need to immediately contact a medical facility.
What can't you do?
As you understand, removing the proboscis or remaining head of a tick is not so easy. In addition, many victims begin to panic and do things that could lead to unpleasant consequences or just make a difficult situation worse.
A tick bite is, of course, not a pleasant event, but once it has happened, detecting it in time and trying to remove it as quickly as possible is half the battle and, in general, seriously reduces all the risks associated with their bites. The main thing at this stage is to avoid a situation in which the tick comes off and part of it remains inside your skin!
Use special tweezers or a suction cup to remove the tick (it's a good idea to have these tools in your first aid kit just in case). Not always, but most often the tick can be removed independently, without medical intervention.
What happens if the tick remains in the body?
When trying to remove a tick completely, it is important to know what to do if the tick comes off and the head remains under the person’s skin, because it is with the help of the head, or rather the proboscis and jaws in it, that the tick is attached to the skin, “cements” the wound, thereby sticking tightly , and injects saliva into the blood - a carrier of dangerous infections.
Many people believe that because the tick's salivary ducts remain under the skin, the infection continues. Others believe that if a tick bites and the head remains, then there is nothing to worry about - what is a small foreign body can be compared to a splinter. And everyone agrees that leaving half the tick under the skin is unwise, because... if the proboscis or antennae of the tick remains under the skin, this can, at a minimum, cause suppuration or irritation of the skin.
In any case, and especially if your region is considered dangerous for tick-borne encephalitis, you should consult a doctor after a tick bite!
How to remove a tick's head?
So, we came to the conclusion that removing tick remains from under the skin is a strategically important task. The main quality in this process is accuracy, one might say, jewelry precision and high-quality processing of the wound. To remove a tick head at home:
- take a thin needle and disinfect it well: with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or by holding it over a fire;
- carefully remove the stuck remains, scrape them out of the wound; a magnifying glass and bright light will not be superfluous;
- now disinfect the wound with the same peroxide or iodine. It's quite simple!
Is it possible to test the removed part of a tick for infection?
Here is the final question that may be of interest to those who have successfully coped with such a critical situation as a tick that is stuck under the skin. Alas, to test for the encephalitis virus, ideally you need a live tick, that is, a whole tick. Not every laboratory has everything necessary to work with a dead specimen; you should find out this individually about your city.
If you managed to remove the tick completely, then a hermetically sealed container and a small piece of cotton wool moistened with water inside will help to bring it alive to the SES.
Ticks on a pet: necessary measures
In principle, the rules for removing ticks are identical for animals and people:
- thin tweezers;
- precise grip as close to the proboscis as possible;
- twisting clockwise;
- and... antiseptic on the wound.
However, due to the fact that the animal will not always react with understanding to the approaching tweezers and, most likely, will break free, there is a high chance that the head of the tick will remain in the body of the cat or dog, even if you were very careful.
Therefore, it is best to consult a veterinarian for tick removal. If this is not possible now, and the tick has not completely gotten out, is it worth it, and if so, how to get the head of the tick from the animal?
As for animals, the methods also differ. Some say that the animal's body itself rejects part of the tick as a foreign body, and most animal tick bites are not dangerous. True, it still doesn’t hurt to closely monitor your pet’s well-being, its appetite and activity, and be on alert (the period for the development of transmitted diseases is 2-3 weeks).
Others prefer to play it safe. And the method is the same as for people - although before removing the tick’s proboscis, some owners advise applying ice to the animal’s skin as a slight anesthesia, because needle surgery and subsequent disinfection can be very painful.
How many people, so many opinions! To make a decision regarding your pet, consult a veterinarian you trust.
Bites from some types of insects can be quite dangerous. These include, for example, ticks. Sometimes people simply don’t know how to remove a tick from a person, where to put it after a bite, and make mistakes in the process of removing it from the body. There are several ways to extract dangerous insect. However, some of them, which they stubbornly continue to tell each other about, are not only unable to help, but can also additionally harm a person. Sometimes there are situations when parts of the insect's body remain in the skin. How to remove a tick's head, its proboscis, or an insect completely correctly?
This article will help you understand this topic.
Tick - what is it?
The insect sees very poorly. But his sense of smell is excellent. In particular, a hungry individual is able to sense a person ten meters away from itself.
These insects can suck blood ten times more than their own body size. At the same time, the abdomen greatly increases and swells. In a well-fed state, the individual reaches up to one and a half centimeters in size. A hungry insect drinks blood not only from humans and animals. If it finds a well-fed individual like itself nearby, it can calmly take advantage of its “lunch” and suck the blood out of it.
Where do they live
Ticks usually live in the forest. Focusing on the tips of branches, blades of grass and leaves, they are ready to take any opportunity to catch on the edge of a person's clothing. If they succeed, they begin to slowly move towards open area skin.
How ticks bite
Having reached the target, the insect fixes itself in place with its paws, on which sharp claws and suction cups are located, and pierces the skin with its proboscis, beginning to penetrate with its entire body and drinking blood.
Since the insect's saliva contains an anesthetic substance, the bite will go unnoticed long time. In addition, saliva can reduce blood clotting. Therefore, the tick absorbs it without much difficulty.
They usually bite where there are thin areas of skin and there is a sufficient amount of blood. This is the neck, head, where hair grows, armpits and other places.
How to remove a tick from a person? It’s good if you can immediately contact specialists at the clinic. But what to do if there is nothing like this nearby? How to remove a tick at home and what is needed for this? Before we begin to answer this question, it is necessary to understand what should not be done in such a situation in the first place.
The main mistakes people make when getting bitten by insects
Not knowing how to remove a tick at home correctly, people listen to the advice of others. Sometimes such recommendations are, to put it mildly, not effective, and can even cause additional harm. Here's how not to remove an insect from your skin:
- Do not pull the tick sharply or too hard. Because of this, the proboscis may remain inside the skin.
- Dirty hands or tools can cause infection.
- There is no need to try to crush the insect before removing it.
- There is no point in pouring oil over an area with a tick and expecting it to come out on its own. The insect will suffocate and remain in the body because the oil will block the hole for its breathing. Moreover, in such a situation, the tick may well spew out all its saliva, and the risk of contracting diseases will increase significantly.
- A cap of water applied to an area of skin will also be useless. The insect will not come out to swim there.
- Burning with a cigarette, applying any caustic liquid such as ammonia, gasoline, vinegar, and so on will also not bring the desired result.
And now about how to remove a tick from a person without causing him additional harm. What to do after the insect is removed from the skin?
How to remove a tick from a person
There are several ways to do this.
1. If you don’t have anything suitable at hand, you can try to remove the tick with your fingers. To do this, you need to wrap them in a clean cloth and clasp the insect as close to its head as possible. If it has managed to attach itself, you need to carefully, slowly, twist it in different directions, since it is easier to unscrew the tick when it is already firmly embedded in the skin. After this has been achieved, it is necessary to check whether there are any remains of the insect left in the body. But squeezing it out with your fingers is still extremely undesirable. It is better to find items to remove the insect more safely.
2. Tweezers are good for this purpose. With its help, they grab the tick by the head and trunk, then begin to slowly pull.
3. There is also a way to pull out a tick with a thread. To do this, a loop is made, the insect is pulled into it as close as possible to the proboscis, and one end or the other is pulled alternately.
4. There are special devices for extracting these insects, which can be purchased at the pharmacy. Outwardly, they resemble the same tweezers, but have curved ends, with which you can easily grab the tick and pull it out.
5. A regular syringe can serve as an easy means for this purpose. The insulin type is suitable. How to pull it out tick with a syringe? You just need to cut off the tip, apply it to the area of skin with the insect and gradually pull the piston towards you.
6. If the insect has managed to attach itself strongly, then it needs to be twisted. How to unscrew a tick? Gently untwist two or three times in one direction, grasping the head. At the same time, you need to try not to squeeze it.
What to do after this
After you have succeeded in removing the tick with a syringe or another method, the bite site must be thoroughly treated with an antiseptic, iodine, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. You should not destroy the insect after it has been removed from the body.
It is advisable to submit it for research to be sure that this individual did not have any dangerous disease. To do this, the tick is placed in a jar. If a lot of time passes before delivery to the laboratory (up to two days), then you need to put a damp cloth in the jar.
If the proboscis remains inside
If the tick was not completely pulled out and the proboscis or head remained inside, then there is nothing to worry about.
You can try to remove the head using a disinfected needle. Doing this will be no more difficult than removing a splinter. Just like removing the head of a tick, you can also get rid of the proboscis remaining in the skin.
What threat does a tick bite pose?
The bite of this insect can have the most serious consequences. A person can become infected dangerous diseases, carried by an insect.
The most severe of them are encephalitis and borreliosis. The first disease is especially dangerous, since its development can lead to damage nervous system with fatal outcome. Currently, no cure has been found for this disease. Only maintenance therapy is possible.
Borreliosis, in turn, is dangerous because it can lead to damage to the heart, joints and other organs. However, if you receive proper treatment in time, you can avoid such serious consequences.
How to prevent yourself from being bitten
To prevent ticks from burrowing into the skin, the following measures must be taken.
- When going to a park or forest, you need to wear clothes that cover almost your entire body. The trousers are tucked into the socks and the sleeve cuffs are buttoned. It is also advisable to cover your head with a hat.
- Before sitting on the grass, you need to lay down a blanket.
- Clothes and body should be inspected periodically. Since the insect moves rather slowly, you can easily shake it off your clothes.
- There are vaccinations against encephalitis, which are given in early spring.
- You can use special repellents that protect against both tick bites and other insects.
The tick digs into human skin using a proboscis called a hypostome. At the same time, the insect secretes saliva, which has an analgesic effect, and the bite occurs absolutely painlessly for the victim.
The severity of symptoms depends on individual characteristics person. A strong manifestation is observed in the elderly, children, persons with weak immunity and those suffering from allergies.
Scalp hair makes ticks difficult to spot. The location of the bite can be determined by a reddish spot around the small wound and a small bump on the skin. Having fed on blood, the insect increases to 10 mm in length, but in general it can be detected much earlier.
If you find a lump on yourself, but do not find other signs of a tick bite, then we advise you to click here and find out what this may indicate.
Photo
Ticks are potential carriers of dangerous infections. The bite itself is not dangerous to humans, but pathogens can penetrate the damaged tissue along with the insect’s saliva.
Moreover, the longer a tick feeds, the greater the likelihood of infection.
An insect can be a carrier of one or several infections at once, the most common of which are:
- encephalitis;
- borreliosis;
- ehrlichiosis;
- anaplasmosis
But not all ticks are dangerous. On the territory of Russia, 80-90% of individuals are sterile, but even the bite of such an insect can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
An increase in temperature is the body’s protective reaction to tick saliva.. If hyperthermia appears a few days after the bite, then this is the first sign infectious disease. In this case, failure to consult a doctor in a timely manner can lead to irreversible changes in the nervous system and even death.
In addition, tick-borne infections affect:
Every year, 400 thousand Russians come to hospitals with complaints of tick bites, including 25% children under 14 years of age.
Sometimes the female mite lays eggs under the skin. But you should not be afraid of the appearance of offspring - the eggs will die after a while and form suppuration in the wound area.
What to do if a bite occurs: first aid
If you find an insect, you should not panic, especially if the victim is a child, and go to the nearest medical center as quickly as possible.
If this is not possible, then you will have to remove the tick yourself, but this must be done accurately - incorrect actions can lead to dire consequences:
Sometimes the body's allergic reaction to a bite manifests itself in the form of Quincke's edema accompanied by swelling of the face, muscle pain and difficulty breathing. If these symptoms occur, you must call an ambulance and provide first aid until doctors arrive:
- give an antihistamine - suprastin, Zyrtec, Claritin, etc.;
- administer 60 mg of dexamethasone intramuscularly.
If the victim is indoors, it is necessary to open a window for ventilation and unfasten clothes on the chest to ensure free breathing.
Removal methods
The best option in case of a tick bite is to go to the hospital. The specialist will quickly and competently carry out the removal procedure and give recommendations on further actions. If this is not possible, then you can remove the insect using ordinary thread or tweezers. There is also a special device on sale in the form of a miniature nail puller. It costs a penny and when going outdoors it is advisable to buy it in advance.
Procedure for tick removal:
Actions after the procedure
If the entire tick was removed, it must be placed in an airtight container and taken to the hospital for analysis. Partial insects are not accepted. But this is not the most important thing. Even if the tick was a carrier of the infection, it is not a fact that infection occurred. It is more important to donate blood yourself for infection rather than examine the insect, but this should be done no earlier than 10 days after the bite.
The first signs of tick-borne encephalitis may appear 60 days after the bite, so it is important to remember this date and monitor your health for two months.
If during this period you experience headaches and muscle pain, fever, weight loss and general weakness, then there is every reason to believe that this is tick-borne encephalitis.
When infected with borreliosis, red circles appear around the wound within 30 days. In both cases, you should immediately consult a doctor.
How to protect yourself from insect attacks?
The risk of a tick attack can be minimized by following these recommendations:
- Biban.
- Dafi-taiga.
- Raptor.
Acaricides have a detrimental effect on ticks. The most effective drugs in this group are:
- Reftamid-taiga.
- Anti-mite tornado.
- Gerdex anti-mite.
Acaricides should be applied to clothing carefully. If it comes into contact with the skin, the drug may cause poisoning or allergies.
You can also protect yourself from possible infection through vaccination.. This procedure is carried out solely for the purpose of prevention at least 3 weeks before going to the forest; after a bite, the vaccine will not bring any benefit.
Proper clothing that covers the entire body and constant vigilance are the main guarantees of safe travel in nature during the peak of tick activity (mid-May - late June). However, few people observe these precautions when going on a long-awaited vacation outside the city. Especially if the temperature outside has already exceeded 25°C, and the sun is so hot that even shorts and a T-shirt seem too formal clothing. Therefore, it is not surprising that many at this time become victims of ticks, which are just beginning their hunt after hibernation.
And although the tick never bites right away, traveling for a long time throughout the body in search of best place for a bite, outdoor enthusiasts can rarely feel its presence and remove it in time. Most people notice the tick is already firmly attached to the skin and then to remove it you need to resort to various tricky manipulations. The matter is aggravated by the fact that ticks are often carriers of dangerous infections, so choosing the wrong method can only harm your health.
How to properly remove a tick - basic methods
Removal using special devices
The problem of ticks is so widespread that today special devices are even produced for their safe removal. The most popular are Tick Twister and Klinver. They are a kind of hook with a wedge-shaped cut in the middle, with which you can pick up a tick near the proboscis and carefully remove it. This tool has two main advantages:
- The tick's body is not compressed. Thanks to this, it is possible to avoid the contents of the tick's intestinal tract being thrown into the wound, which greatly reduces the risk of infection. For example, if a tick is a carrier of borreliosis, then using Tick Twister or Klinver reduces the likelihood of getting sick by half.
- The tick remains unharmed. Then he can be taken to a laboratory for analysis to obtain reliable data about the presence or absence of an infection. Very often this helps to start timely and adequate treatment.
Removal using loop
This method is quite reliable, especially if the tick has not yet had time to properly insert its tenacious legs into the skin. If this happens, you first need to carefully separate the pest from the body using tweezers, and then grab it with a loop. Most likely, you can’t do it without helpers.
What you should never do with a tick
Mistake #1: Grabbing a tick with bare fingers. If you grab a tick with your fingers and try to pull it out, it will most likely burst. This will not only interfere with laboratory testing, but will also greatly increase the risk of infection if the tick turns out to be infectious.
Mistake #3 - killing the tick with alcohol, vinegar and other caustic liquids. Also a very bad option. The disadvantages are similar to the previous one. The same applies to cauterization with fire.
The tick ruptured and the head remained, what should I do?
The hardest part of the case is over. After removing the tick, the wound should be thoroughly treated with an antiseptic, for example, iodine or alcohol. It is also advisable to thoroughly wash your hands, tools and work surfaces. Now all that remains is to conveniently arrange the prisoner in a small plastic or glass vial and take him for analysis. There are 2 days for everything.
Submitting a tick for analysis: procedure
There is no universal set of rules for reporting a tick. However, the general procedure looks something like this:
Task No. 1 - save the tick
Task #2 - contact your GP or family doctor
Of course, if you contact a private laboratory, you can skip this step. But if the analysis is carried out at the SES or any other government agency, it is better, of course, to inform your local doctor first. He will record the request and write out the necessary directions that will help in taking tests and carrying out preventive therapy (administration of immunoglobulins, antibiotics, antiviral drugs, etc.).
If you believe the reviews, sometimes you can submit a tick to the SES without a referral. But this rarely happens and rather depends on the specific person on the spot. Therefore, if you go just like that, you may not agree on anything.
Task No. 3 - take the tick for analysis
Usually all the necessary tests are done at the SES. Although usually in this institution everything is limited to a standard test for borreliosis. The remaining infections, of which there are about a dozen, are detected after infection and, most likely, the doctor will only advise you to monitor your well-being in the next few weeks.
Where else can a tick be placed? In addition to SES necessary research Also carried out by infectious diseases hospitals and laboratories (both private and public). Alternatively, you can contact a commercial medical center. Although this option will be more expensive, in addition to the analysis, an observation chart will be immediately drawn up and preventive therapy will be prescribed.
According to research results, on average, only 1 out of 10 ticks is a carrier of the infection (the specific parameter depends on the region), and the chances of becoming infected do not exceed 15%. But the problem must be taken seriously. It is important to remember the danger that ticks pose and never neglect it. If there is the slightest doubt that everything will be done correctly, it is better to immediately go to the doctor. He will not only remove the parasite using tools specially designed for this, but will also outline a further plan of action that will help minimize all health risks.
