What should I do if I have a tick bite?

Always remove the tick as soon as possible! The longer the tick is attached to your skin, the higher the risk that it will transmit diseases. 
Do not use alcohol, iodine, oil or any other substance before removing the tick.
Use pointed tweezers to grasp the tick’s head as closely as possible to the skin and gently pull it out. A small piece of the head that is left embedded in the skin is nothing to worry about. It will fall out on its own, just like a splinter. Now disinfect the bite wound. Are you using a different type of tick remover? Follow the instructions that came with it.
Note when and where on your body you were bitten. Keep checking the skin around the tick bite for three months after the bite occurred. Look out for any discolouration of the skin or other symptoms associated with Lyme disease. 

When to see a doctor

Go see your GP if you have one or more of these symptoms after a tick bite:

• Expanding discolouration of the skin at the location of the tick bite. This ‘ring’ around that spot can appear for up to three months after a tick bite.
• Fever, possibly accompanied by muscle ache and joint pain, in the first weeks after the bite.
• Joint problems, skin conditions, nervous complaints or cardiac symptoms may sometimes develop. This can occur if early symptoms of Lyme disease were not treated with antibiotics. However, these symptoms may also be the first signs of the disease.

Both the early and the later stages can be treated with antibiotics. However, if it progresses to a later stage, the infection may have already caused damage. For that reason, it is important to contact your GP if you have these symptoms.

Not sure about whether your tick bite is showing discolouration? Look at the examples on www.tekenradar.nl or the ‘Tekenbeet’ app.