If you’re someone who enjoys outdoor activities in the summertime, especially activities like hiking or spending time in grassy areas, it is important to be vigilant about ticks. Ticks are small insects that can bite humans and transmit diseases through their bite. The most commonly discussed tick-borne illness is Lyme disease. However, there are many other infections that ticks can spread to humans, including Rocky Mountain fever and anaplasmosis. Tick bites require immediate care from a medical professional, but ticks can be very small and their bites often are difficult to identify. This article will review how to identify a tick bite so that you can seek medical care for treatment.
At AFC Urgent Care Bound Brook, our walk-in clinic offers same-day tick bite treatment for patients 7 days a week! Our board-certified medical providers are trained to diagnose tick bites, perform any necessary testing to determine whether you caught any infections from the bite, and treat them as needed. Simply walk into the clinic, or save your spot online in advance below.
How to Identify a Tick Bite
Ticks can be very small and difficult to see on your body. Because of this, identifying a tick bite sometimes takes a trained eye. While you may find the tick actively biting you in some cases, tick bites often don’t hurt, which may mean that you don’t realize that you’ve been bitten until after the tick has detached. Ticks infected with Lyme disease can sometimes cause a symptom called a bullseye rash. This rash appears as a red ring around the bite site, making it easy to spot where you were bitten. Other symptoms that can help you identify a tick bite include mild itching and swelling around the affected area.
Do Tick Bites Require Medical Treatment?
Although tick bites may not seem like a big deal because they’re so small, tick bites require medical care. Ticks can carry many serious diseases, and if you’re bitten by a tick, you should seek immediate medical care. In many cases, antibiotics are necessary to prevent long term affects from a tick bite.
Treatment Options for a Tick Bite
Treatment for tick bites can vary. The area that you live in will likely influence what diseases a tick bite may have exposed you to. If you find a tick biting you, you should remove it carefully with tweezers. Be sure to get the entire tick, including the head, and store it in an air tight plastic bag. Your medical provider will be able to identify the tick and narrow down which diseases you’re at risk for. They may perform diagnostic testing to check for tick-borne infections in your blood. Based on the results, they will provide any necessary medications such as antibiotics.
Visit AFC Urgent Care Bound Brook for Tick Bite Treatment
If you’re bitten by a tick, or think you may have been bitten by a tick, you should always seek medical care. Tick bites can be difficult to identify, so it is better to be safe and seek medical advice. Treatment for tick bites usually includes a round of prescription antibiotics to kill of any infections that the tick may have exposed you to. At AFC Urgent Care Bound Brook, our walk-in clinic offers same-day treatment for tick bites.
Our clinic is able to perform diagnostic testing to check for tick-borne illnesses with results available in just a few days. We offer same-day care with short wait times, so that you can receive prompt care when it’s convenient for your schedule. We work with most medical insurance plans, and offer affordable rates for self-paying patients. To learn more, give us a call at (732) 469-3627.
