![]() Things like pocket knives, suction devices, tourniquets, gunpowder, vitamin C, freezing, burning, and even electrocution have been advocated for snakebite first aid over the years the only thing all of these “treatments” have in common is a high likelihood of making the situation worse. In fact, most of the advice about snakebite first aid that has circulated over the past 500 years or so (and probably much longer) is bad information. One of the most common questions is “Do venom extractors and other commercial snakebite kits actually help?” The short answer is no. None of our experts had a favorite brand of tweezers, but these, from popular brand Tweezerman, fit their detailed criteria and are mentioned in our story about preventing tick bites.As snakebite experts we are frequently asked about first aid for snakebite patients. ![]() ![]() “If you have fine-tipped, pointed-end tweezers, you should be able to grasp the tick regardless of its size.” The black-legged tick (the one most commonly associated with Lyme disease), for instance, is the size of a poppy seed in its nymph stage, making it too small for flat or blunt-ended tweezers (or most fork-shaped tick-removal devices) to effectively pluck. To do that, Nadine Cohen, an internist at CareMount Medical, says you want to “grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.” Next, she says to “pull upward with steady, even pressure,” and remember not to “twist or jerk the tick,” which can “cause the mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin.” Colby Meehan, a leadership training manager for the Appalachian Mountain Club, stresses the importance of using fine-tipped tweezers with pointed ends above all other kinds for tick removal. Veterinarian Sara Ochoa agrees, as does Linda Giampa, the executive director of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, who says that “squishing the tick or yanking it may push any bacteria back into your body.” Instead, Molaei, Ochoa, and Giampa - along with six other of our ten experts - say you should use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers with pointed ends to remove a tick from humans of all ages (as well as dogs and cats), with the goal being to extract the bug completely without leaving any of its head in your skin. Touching a tick can put you at further risk - especially “if you have a small cut on your hand, you could expose yourself to disease agents,” explains Goudarz Molaei, a scientist in Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Sciences and an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Microbial Diseases at Yale University. If you still find yourself with a tick bite despite taking all the recommended precautions, do not try to remove the tick with your bare hands. Should all those fail, though, read on to find out what products the pros say to use to remove ticks once they bite. Of course, there’s more to know about ticks than just how to pull one out, and our experts had tips for avoiding tick bites in the first place (walking along the center of a trail if you’re on a hike wearing light-colored clothing that’ll help you spot a tick if one jumps on you wearing long-sleeved shirts and tucking pants into socks spraying Permethrin on those shirts, pants, and socks doing a full-body tick check on people and pets once they reenter the house from outside). We spoke to ten experts - including doctors, veterinarians, dermatologists, scientists, and a representative from the Appalachian Mountain Club - about the correct way to remove ticks from both humans and animals, and the tools to help you do it quickly and safely. And knowing how to quickly and properly remove a tick without leaving its mouthparts behind is extremely important if you don’t want to contract one of those illnesses (which include Lyme disease). ![]() Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ![]() But what if you try everything you can to stop them, and a tick still sinks its pincers into you? Cases of tick-borne illnesses in the United States grew by more than 6,000 between the years 20, according to the U.S. If you’ve spent (or are planning to spend) any time hiking, camping, or generally enjoying the outdoors this summer, chances are you’ve read our story on the best products for preventing tick bites. Photo: Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images ![]()
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