Medical Questions » First Aid Questions » Question No. 403
| Question: | How should you remove a tic from your skin? i get lots of them, and I' m always worried about leaving the head behind and getting an infection. |
| Answer: | A tics has a large black body from which mouth parts protrude and grasp the skin. It does not have a head as such. A tube-like mouth part-pierces the skin to suck up blood. When the tic is full of blood it drops off, and waits for its next victim. A full feed of blood may last it for a year or more.
To remove the tic, wash it and the surrounding skin with an alcohol solution such as methylated spirits. Place a pair of forceps (tweezers) flat on the skin so that the jaws are either side of the tic. Grasp the tic firmly as close to the skin as possible, twist through ninety degrees and then lift off. The tic will come away easily with minimal pain. Some tiny black marks, the mouth parts, may be left behind, but they rarely cause any trouble.
Place some antiseptic cream or lotion on the bite site and leave alone to heal over the next couple of days. If the area becomes red and angry, it may have become infected and a doctor should be consulted.
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