Published June 18, 2026 10:45AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s always a little alarming to find a tick on you, given all the bad press around the little arachnids. Every year, almost one in ten people<\/a> will experience a tick bite, and 476,000<\/a> will be treated for Lyme disease in the U.S., according to the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n While these stats can be worrisome, the point isn\u2019t to freak out. It\u2019s to take action. The most important thing you can do to lower your chances of developing a tick-borne illness after finding one of the little suckers on you is to get it off<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTicks need to be feeding to transmit diseases, so ideally, one would remove the tick before it settles and starts feeding,\u201d says infectious diseases physician Laura Kirkman, MD<\/a>, associate professor of medicine and microbiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. \u201cThey are a bit methodical and take their time (unlike mosquitoes), giving human hosts a chance to stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, we\u2019re not always that lucky.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s exactly how to remove a tick that\u2019s already bitten you<\/a>:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry too much about pulling the tick off perfectly or completely. \u201cJust remove the tick, because the longer it stays embedded, the more likely it is to transmit a pathogen,\u201d says Jean Tsao, PhD<\/a>, a professor of fisheries and wildlife and large animal clinical sciences at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t delay pulling the tick off to wait to go to an emergency room or to a doctor\u2019s office, which only increases the amount of time the tick is feasting, Dr. Kirkman says.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also not worth trying rumored remedies like petroleum jelly, nail polish, or even burning the tick off. These tactics don\u2019t work to remove a tick and could hurt you in the process, says Paul G. Auwaerter, MD, MBA<\/a>, a professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.<\/p>\n Once the tick is off, take a deep breath. You\u2019ve completed the most important step. You don\u2019t need to rush to the doctor or emergency room.<\/p>\n Check the rest of your body diligently for any other ticks if you haven\u2019t already. \u201cThey are very small, often the size of a poppy seed, so they can be hard to see,\u201d Dr. Kirkman says. Use a full-length mirror and a hand mirror to inspect your body from head to toe, paying extra attention to areas with folds of skin, Dr. Auwaerter says.<\/p>\n If the tick is in good condition after you remove it, take a picture of it before discarding it. This can help you identify the species of tick that bit you, which \u201caffects the infections we worry about and how likely the tick was to carry a human pathogen,\u201d Dr. Kirkman says.<\/p>\n Identifying a tick can be challenging for the average hiker or trail runner, but there are professionals who can help. Take a photo of the tick from the top side where you can see more of its features, then try an image search online to see if you can match up your tick, Tsao says.<\/p>\n The most reliable option, however, is to submit your photo to a reliable online resource like your state\u2019s health department, The Tick App<\/a>, or TickEncounter<\/a>. \u201cThese online resources can respond with an identification within 24 to 48 hours, which is in time for medical management,\u201d Tsao says. To be extra cautious, you can submit your photo to more than one of these resources to make sure you get a timely response, she adds.<\/p>\n Depending on the type of tick that bit you, you might be a candidate for preventive antibiotics. \u201cFor a high-risk tick bite, a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline<\/a> can be given to prevent Lyme disease,\u201d Dr. Kirkman says. This is only the case if you were bitten by a blacklegged tick, which transmits Lyme, the tick was engorged, and it\u2019s less than 72 hours since the tick was removed.<\/p>\nHow to Remove a Tick<\/h2>\n
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After You\u2019ve Removed the Tick<\/h2>\n