08/27/2026
🚨 SPOT THE DOT: Your Quick Guide to Tick Bites 🚨
Warmer weather means spending more time outdoors—but it also means sharing the woods and tall grass with ticks. Do you know what to do if you find one on yourself or your child?
Keep these three steps in mind to stay safe this season:
1. REMOVE IT RIGHT AWAY 🛑
- Use tweezers: Grab the tick with fine-tipped tweezers as close to the skin's surface as possible.
- Pull straight up: Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk it.
- Clean up: Wash the bite area and your hands thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- What NOT to do: Avoid old folklore remedies like using nail polish, petroleum jelly, or a hot match. You want to remove the tick quickly, not wait for it to detach.
2. MONITOR FOR SYMPTOMS 👁️
- Keep a close eye on the bite area over the next 30 days. Contact a healthcare provider if you develop:
- A fever or chills
- Aches, pains, or severe fatigue
- A rash (especially a expanding "bullseye" pattern, though rashes can take many shapes)
3. PREVENT FUTURE BITES 🌲
- Dress smart: Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your pants into your socks when hiking.
- Spray up: Use an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or IR3535.
- Check thoroughly: Do a full-body tick check on yourself, your kids, and your pets after being outdoors.
- Pay close attention to under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, and in the hair.
When to seek medical care:
If you experience any of the symptoms above, or if you cannot completely remove the tick's head, visit our Urgent Care or your primary care doctor right away. Early treatment with antibiotics is highly effective for tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.
💬 Have questions about outdoor safety? Drop them in the comments below!
