To remove a tick, use fine-point tweezers to pull it straight out along the skin — don’t apply oil, don’t use heat

34. To remove a tick, use fine-point tweezers to pull it straight out along the skin — don’t apply oil, don’t use heat

Cost: A pair of fine-point tweezers.

In plain terms: Use fine-point tweezers to grasp the tick’s head right against the skin, then pull steadily outward. Never apply oil, use heat, or yank sideways — doing so can force infectious fluids into the skin and often leaves the tick’s mouthparts embedded. After removal, write down the date. If you develop fever, rash, or fatigue in the following weeks, be sure to mention the tick bite to your doctor.

Benefit: Applying oil, using heat, or pulling sideways can provoke the tick to release infectious fluids into the skin. Those actions also raise the risk of leaving its mouthparts stuck inside. In China, tick-borne severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome led to 6,602 reported cases and 306 deaths in 2024 — the highest totals on record. From 2010 through 2024, the average fatality rate stood at 4.79%, rising with age; for those over 85 it reached 9.15%.

Evidence grade: B

Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After a tick bite: "Grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible using clean fine-tipped tweezers" "Pull tick away from the skin with steady, even pressure" "Do not use petroleum jelly, heat, nail polish, or other substances to try and make the tick detach from the skin. This may agitate the tick and force infected fluid from the tick into the skin". <https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/after-a-tick-bite/index.html>; Ren Q et al. (2026). Epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in China, 2010–2024: a fifteen-year national surveillance analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases 26:1497: "The number of reported cases (6,602 cases) and deaths (306 cases) in 2024 were both the highest levels since the discovery of this disease""The average CFR was 4.79%, and the CFR increased with age, reaching 9.15% among those aged 85 years and above". <https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14066-z>

Notes: Be sure to note the date of removal. Should fever, rash, or fatigue appear in the weeks that follow, inform your doctor about the tick bite — otherwise it may be misdiagnosed as a common cold.