Tick Bites at Urgent Care & Walk-In Clinic in the Philadelphia, PA area

If you live in a rural area, you know how much of a pest ticks can be. Whether you are a child or an adult, ticks are an irritating outdoor parasite. These small, brown bugs are responsible for various bacteria and viruses being passed to humans and animals.

But that does not mean you should stop spending time outdoors with your family. Instead, you should learn more about how to best protect yourself and your family, especially from serious illnesses such as Lyme Disease, which ticks can cause.

Here at AFC Urgent Care Centers in the Philadelphia, PA area, we know how dangerous ticks can be. Our team of medical experts will be able to identify whether or not a tick has bitten you and remove them safely.

To help protect yourself and those around you from ticks, we have put together a guide. It includes where you are most likely to find them and how you can tell whether this pest has bitten you.

Where are you most likely to find ticks?

Ticks live in outdoor areas and are often found where it is moist. Shrubs, tall grass, and piles of leaves are the most common places for ticks to be, which means you should be careful when walking through or around any of these particular areas.

Can you prevent tick bites?

There are a variety of ways that you can prevent tick bites while out and about. This includes:

• Using a permethrin coating on your clothes and shoes, which will kill ticks
• Use a repellent that includes DEET on any exposed areas of skin

When you return home, it is important that you check yourself over to make sure that there are no ticks attached to your skin. You should also try to shower within 2 hours of being outside. This will help to remove any ticks, not to mention wash off the repellent!

How to check for ticks?

It is easy to check for ticks; however, you should always be thorough. First, you should check your clothes for any ticks before checking over your entire body in the mirror, including your underarms and hair. If you have some ticks on your clothes, you should dry them on high heat.

What should I do if I have been bitten by a tick?

If you find a tick on you, it can be worrying. One of the most important things to do is to make sure that you take it off completely and carefully. Use tweezers and pull it gently and slowly out of your skin with a twisting motion. Leaving the head of the tick in your skin can be dangerous.

It is always a good idea to check that you have completely removed the tick. If you are not sure, you should see a physician to verify that nothing is left.

After removing the tick, you should watch for any rashes developing at the bite site. This can be a sign that something isn’t right. Again, it should be checked out by a qualified physician as soon as possible.

AFC Urgent Care Centers in the Philadelphia, PA, area offers walk-in appointments, which are ideal if you believe you have been bitten by a tick and want to have it examined. Our skilled medical team cannot only check you over at our state-of-the-art facility but also provide advice on preventing tick bites.

They have a wealth of experience in treating and diagnosing many different bug bites and can give you peace of mind that there will be no side effects from your tick bite. Find a local AFC Urgent Care Center near you!