In the foreground is the mouthpart of an American dog tick, and to the rear is a lone star tick mouthpart. A tick’s mouth has two sets of sharp hooks to break through the host’s skin so the tick can ...

Lift steadily without twisting the tick, which can cause the mouth to break off and stay in the skin. Clean the bite area as well as your hands, using rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Then grab the tick right at the base of where it attaches to the skin with a small pair of tweezers and gently, slowly pull. Because I want you to remove the mouth parts that are embedded in the ...

After hitching a ride on the host, the tick inserts chelicerae (mouth parts with cutting action) and hypostome (feeding tube, like a mosquito) into the skin where it fastens itself into position. It ...

3. If some of the tick stays in your skin, don't panic. It will usually heal on its own, though you can have a doctor remove it if you prefer. Mouth parts that are left behind can cause some ...

“Gently grasp the tick near its head or mouth. Don’t squeeze or crush the tick. Pull it off with a careful, steady grip. Once you’ve removed the entire tick, throw it out. Put on an ...