The three most important things you need to pay attention to
Beginning with the spring, families spend more time outdoors. Besides the positive effects of enjoying fresh air, exercise and time spent together, however, there are some risks involved as well, such as picking up ticks.
Whether you take a walk in the forest or enjoy time in your garden, it may happen any time that you get in contact with ticks. To avoid unpleasant and even dangerous complications resulti from mbeing bitten by a tick, it is important to be proactive. Always dress apropriately when preparing for a walk in the forest. You should wear closed shoes, socks, and long pants, as ticks, contrary to the popular belief, don’t fall on their prey from trees but crawl onto legs from the grass or low plants. When you get home, check for ticks all over your own and your family members’ skin.
What to do if you find a tick?
Unfortunately, in May happen that despite all precautions a tick will be found on someone’s skin in your family. There is no need to panic, if this is the case; instead, think and act calmly.
The most important thing is not to start running around to find a doctor, as you will waste precious time. Removing a tick from the skin doesn’t need medical intervention. The best solution is to take the tick out as soon as you notice its presence. The reason for the need to act fast is that after getting their head into the skin, ticks void before actually starting to suck the blood. With their feces, ticks may transfer the bacteria which will cause Lyme disease.
Ticks are not only carriers of Lyme disease bacteria, but also of viruses that will cause encephalitis. A preventive shot exists only for the latter disease.
How to remove ticks
According to dermatologists, you mustn’t attempt to remove ticks with the aid of oil or fat, as this may cause the tick to regurgitate the contents of its digestive tract, which, again, will introduce the bacteria of the Lyme disease into the host. Also, contrary to the general belief, you mustn’t attempt to twist the body of the tick neither to the left or to the right, as it’s body is built regularly (no corkscrew-shaped proboscis!),and its body will detach as a result of twisting, leaving the head inserted in the skin.
The proper way to remove a tick is by the use of a pair of tweezers or even with fingernails. Simply grab the tick and pull it out from the skin with an even, slow motion. Many persons are afraid that the head will stay in the skin if applying this procedure. However, once more contrary to the popular belief, the head remaining in the skin won’t cause any problems, confirms the dermatologist.