If you do find a tick, don't panic. Simply remove it with a pair of tweezers behind the head, not the body. Squeezing the body could push fluids back into your body, like a syringe. Tom Grier of the Duluth/Superior Lyme Disease Support Group advises people who have been bitten to save the tick in a jar with a drop of water and seek treatment promptly, without waiting to see if symptoms develop.
After removing the tick, use an antiseptic on the bite. Also, avoid folk remedies (and e-mail cures) such as Vaseline, nail polish remover or burning matches -- they are not a safe or effective way to remove ticks.
Here are some tips to prevent tick bites:
Use repellent, especially on your lower legs.
When spending time in wooded or brushy areas, it is crucial to use tick repellents containing permethrin. Permethrin-based products, which are only applied to clothing (not skin), are highly effective and can last through several washings. Since ticks climb up from the ground, focus repellent use below the knees. Repellents containing up to 30 percent DEET can be used on the skin or clothing. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding the hands, eyes and mouth.
Wear light-colored long pants and light-colored clothing (so you can easily see the ticks trying to wander up your leg) and walk in the center of trails. Tuck pants into your socks if you're heading into wooded areas.
Do a tick check. After returning from the woods, check your body carefully for ticks and promptly remove any that are found. Look carefully in the hair, under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, in back of the knees, between the legs and where your waistband sits.
Also, throw your clothes and sleeping bags into the dryer on hot for at least 20 minutes -- this should kill any other ticks.
