What You Should Know About Tick Bites, Treatments, and Prevention (With Pictures)

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During warmer times of the year, many people enjoy being outdoors. In some parts of the country, any outdoor activity, from walking the dog to hiking or camping, can put you at risk of a tick bite.

Here, we'll discuss what you should do if you think you may have a tick bite - and steps you can take to treat and prevent them.

What are ticks?

Ticks are small parasites that feed on blood from humans and animals. Since ticks feed on humans and animals, the human or animal they bite is called a host.

When ticks bite, they attach themselves to their host and can feed on their blood for hours or days. They're very small, and it's common not to feel them bite. Sometimes, ticks can go unnoticed for days, until they swell from feeding and become large enough to spot.

Where are ticks most common?

Different ticks live in different parts of the country. Not all areas of the U.S. have the same types of ticks, but ticks can be found in all states. The brown dog tick, which commonly bites dogs but can also bite humans, can be found everywhere in the U.S.

In general, tick bites seem to be most common in the Northeast and least common in the South Central U.S.

Why should I be concerned about a tick bite?

The main reason tick bites are concerning is that they can spread disease. Ticks can become infected with bacteria, viruses, and other smaller parasites and pass them from host to host as the tick feeds on the host's blood. The diseases caused by these infected ticks are called tick-borne diseases.

Common tick-borne diseases

There are many different tick-borne diseases. Some diseases are common in certain areas and rare or even unheard of in others. For example, in the U.S., Lyme disease is common in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Upper Midwest, but it's less common elsewhere.

Common tick-borne diseases include:

• Lyme disease

• Anaplasmosis

• Babesiosis

• Rocky Mountain spotted fever

• Ehrlichiosis

But before you panic, remember that not all ticks are infected with diseases. Getting a tick bite doesn't mean you'll be infected with a tick-borne disease.

Whether or not a tick transmits a disease from one host to another depends on a few different factors, such as:

• The type of tick

• Your geographic location

• The percent of ticks in that location that carry diseases

• How long the tick stays attached to your body

Because of this, the actual risk of infection may be quite low, even in areas where a particular disease commonly occurs. For example, for Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the U.S., the risk of infection after a tick bite is about 2%.

What are symptoms of a tick bite?

The easiest way to tell if you have a tick bite is if you see the tick still attached. Ticks are small, dark-brown bugs that can be hard to notice unless you know what to look for. After feeding, the tick may become up to two to three times larger and can be easier to spot.

Ticks usually fall off on their own after a couple of days, once they've fed. At this point, you may notice a firm, red, itchy bump at the site of the bite, like any other bug bite. This isn't a sign of tick-borne disease, just your body's reaction to the tick's saliva.

Symptoms of common tick-borne diseases in the U.S.

If you do get a tick-borne illness from a tick bite, you'll develop symptoms. People can have many different symptoms after a tick bite, and they can appear anywhere in the body, not necessarily at the site of the bite.

Typically, symptoms start about a week after the tick bite, as the infection starts to spread. Common symptoms include:

• Rash

• Joint pains

• Body aches

• Headache

• Fever

• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

But there's a wide range of symptoms, depending on the type of tick and the type of disease. The timeline can also vary from person to person - from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the illness.

Symptoms range from mild to life-threatening, especially if the disease isn't treated early.

Overview and pictures of tick-borne illnesses

Here's an overview of the types of symptoms you may experience with different tick-borne illnesses, starting with Lyme disease.

Keep in mind: It's possible to have more than one tick-borne disease at the same time. And these lists of symptoms aren't exhaustive. When in doubt, get checked by a healthcare professional.

Lyme disease

• Symptoms may develop between 3 and 30 days after a tick bite.

• An oval or ring-shaped rash is very common, but it doesn't always happen.

• Fever, headache, body ache, and joint pain are also common.

• If untreated, other symptoms may develop later.

Ring-shaped rash on a leg, from Lyme disease.

Anaplasmosis

• Symptoms may develop between 5 and 14 days after a tick bite.

• Fever, headache, body aches, rash, and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are most common.

Babesiosis

• Symptoms may develop between 1 and 9 weeks after a tick bite.

• Fever, fatigue, headache, body aches, joint pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and dark urine are some common symptoms.

• Some people may also get an enlarged liver or spleen that may feel like a fullness in their upper abdomen.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

This is the potentially most deadly of the tick-borne illnesses, with symptoms such as:

• Early symptoms may develop between 1 and 4 days after a tick bite.

• Early symptoms include high fever, severe headache, body aches, swelling of the eyes and hands, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

• Later symptoms occur after 5 days and may include confusion, coma, respiratory failure, tissue necrosis, and organ failure.

Ehrlichiosis

• Symptoms may develop between 5 and 14 days after a tick bite.

• Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, rash, gastrointestinal symptoms, and confusion.

How do you treat a tick bite?

If you have a tick attached to your skin, the first thing you want to do is remove the tick. Don't wait for it to fall off. The faster you remove the tick, the lower your risk of developing a tick-borne disease. After removing the tick, wash the area carefully with soap and water.

How to safely remove a tick

To safely remove a tick, you can use small tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. Here's what to do:

• Pull back firmly, but don't yank or twist.

• Don't squeeze or crush the tick's body, because that can spill the blood inside the tick and increase your risk of infection.

• Once you've removed the tick, you can get rid of it by putting it in alcohol, wrapping it in tape, placing it in a sealed container, or flushing it in the toilet.

• It may be a good idea to take a picture of the tick in case you seek medical care and need to describe what it looked like.

Don't apply nail polish, lotion, petroleum jelly, or heat to the tick.

Self-care for tick bites and rashes (after removal)

After you've removed the tick, check to see if there are any tick parts left in the skin. You may see a small black dot. If that's the case, don't worry. These are probably mouth parts of the tick, and they can't transmit Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses. In most cases, your body will expel the tick parts that are left in the skin.

It's possible to get a skin infection, though, so follow these steps to prevent this from happening:

• Wash the area well with soap and water.

• Pat with alcohol to disinfect the skin.

• Apply an antibiotic ointment like Polysporin or Neosporin.

• Monitor for redness, warmth, swelling, or yellow oozing.

If the bite is uncomfortable and itchy, home remedies and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can help soothe the bite and ease symptoms. You can try:

• Ice or a cold pack

• Ibuprofen

• Benadryl

• A local anesthetic skin spray with benzocaine

• Calamine lotion

When should I seek medical help for a tick bite?

The risk of developing a tick-borne disease from a tick bite is very low if the tick has been attached for less than 36 hours. If you see a tick on you:

• Remove it right away.

• Take a picture of it, in case you need to show your primary care provider.

• Monitor for symptoms.

If you've had a tick attached for longer than 36 hours, or if you're not sure how long a tick has been attached or you develop symptoms, then it's a good idea to seek medical care.

Depending on your geographic location and the type of tick, some people may need preventative antibiotics after a tick bite, even if they don't yet have symptoms of tick-borne disease. Seeing a picture of the tick can help your primary care provider or other healthcare professional determine your risk of tick-borne disease and the best course of treatment for you.

You should also get medical advice for a tick bite if you have:

• Increased pain, swelling, or pus draining from the bite site

• A rash

• Fever

• Joint pain

• Head or body aches

• Gastrointestinal upset

Very occasionally, a person may develop a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, in response to a tick bite. Seek emergency care immediately if you develop any of the following:

• Chest pain

• Shortness of breath

• Fast heart rate

• Feeling lightheaded or fainting

• Hives and itching

What can you do to prevent tick bites?

There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting a tick bite. Ticks can be found all year long, but bites tend to be more common in warmer months.

While outside

To prevent tick bites, avoid heavily wooded and brushy areas with lots of leaves and grass. If you go hiking or camping:

• Wear light-colored long sleeves and pants, because that may make it easier to identify a tick on you.

• Tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your shoes to decrease the exposed skin that ticks can bite.

• Use insect repellent that contains DEET or permethrin on your clothes.

Back inside

After being outdoors, here are some things to do:

• Check for ticks when showering.

• Remember to check kids and pets too.

• Drying your clothes on high heat may help remove any ticks stuck on clothing.

At home

And remember: You don't have to be hiking or camping to come across ticks - they can be anywhere, even in your own backyard.

The best way to protect yourself and your family from tick-borne disease is to know what to look for and to routinely check for ticks after spending time outdoors.

Images used with permission from VisualDx (www.visualdx.com)

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