Preventing tick bites (Source: American Lyme Disease Foundation)
A tick bite can happen anywhere, not just in the wilderness. Some things to consider for preventing tick bites when spending time in wilderness and grassy areas.
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Wear enclosed shoes and light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily.
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Scan clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors.
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Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails.
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Use insect repellant containing DEET (Diethyl-meta-toluamide) on skin or clothes if you intend to go off-trail or into overgrown areas.
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Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls (havens for ticks and their hosts).
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Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.
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Do a final, full-body tick-check at the end of the day (also check children and pets).
When taking the above precautions, consider these important facts:
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If you tuck long pants into socks and shirts into pants, be aware that ticks that contact your clothes will climb upward in search of exposed skin. This means they may climb to hidden areas of the head and neck if not intercepted first; spot-check clothes frequently.
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Clothes can be sprayed with either DEET or Permethrin. Only DEET can be used on exposed skin, but never in high concentrations; follow the manufacturer's directions.
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Upon returning home, clothes can be spun in the dryer for 20 minutes to kill any unseen ticks.
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A shower and shampoo may help to remove crawling ticks, but will not remove attached ticks.
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Inspect yourself and your children carefully after a shower. Keep in mind that nymphal deer ticks are the size of poppy seeds; adult deer ticks are the size of apple seeds.
For more tips of peventing Lyme Disease, come in for a consultation at Healthmark Foot and Ankle today!
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