Ticks are insidious - most of them release an anesthetic along with saliva at the time of the bite, so a person or animal simply cannot immediately feel the bite. But over time, the bite site begins to itch - so much that sometimes it is unbearable to endure and you can scratch the skin too much, which will increase the risk of complications (such as non-healing wounds, purulent processes). Today we’ll tell you why itching, irritation, and sometimes allergic reactions occur, and we’ll figure out what to do about it.
Tick habitats
Nowadays, you don’t have to go into the forest to find a tick on your clothes or skin. It is enough to walk through a city square or on the grass near your house to pick up this parasite. Not all people know what these blood-sucking arthropods look like.
Ticks belong to the order Arachnids. Currently, 650 of their species are known, most of which are harmless to humans. Among them there are also carriers of serious health diseases:
- tick-borne encephalitis;
- borreliosis.
It must be remembered that a tick bite may not be felt, because when the skin is damaged, it releases saliva containing pain-relieving components. It is not surprising that a person can notice a parasite on his body only some time after the bite. It is advisable to detect it when the tick has not yet penetrated deep into the skin. Then it's easier to pull it out.
What to do if the itching does not stop
Itching cannot be completely eliminated until the allergens are completely eliminated from the body. As a temporary measure, you can relieve the unpleasant symptom by using antihistamines for oral and external use, but remember that consultation with a doctor is mandatory and cannot be postponed until later.
It is necessary to consult a doctor in any case of a tick bite - a specialist will assess your condition, prescribe tests and give recommendations on further actions.
Features of behavior
Evolution has helped ticks acquire qualities that have helped them exist successfully for many hundreds of years. They can sit quietly for a long time on tall grass or bushes. When the opportunity arises, they jump on animals or humans. This is basically how ixodid ticks behave - they are carriers of dangerous diseases. They don't bite right away. First, the parasite crawls along clothing from bottom to top, trying to find a suitable place.
If the tick has burrowed under the skin, it means it has been found. Typically, it bites where blood vessels are close to the surface of the body. It can take him up to 3 hours to find such a place. During this time you can easily get rid of it. After the location is found, the tick bites and gradually immerses its head into the skin to get to the blood. His abdomen remains outside.
It is easy to detect a tick under the skin, although this is a rather rare occurrence. It looks like a small tumor, but when you touch it you can feel a hard lump. The behavior of bloodsuckers depends on their species. Some, having drunk blood, fall off on their own after about 3 hours. These are mostly males. Females penetrate deeper into the subcutaneous tissue.
Diagnostics
Determining the presence of a parasite in the human ear is quite difficult, especially at an early stage. Several methods are used for diagnosis:
- patient interview;
- visual examination of the auricle (allows you to detect ixodid ticks, but is useless if the disease is caused by Demodex);
- microscopic examination (a smear or scraping of tissue from the ear is taken as a biomaterial, which is then examined under a microscope, determining the presence of eggs, larvae and adult parasites);
- biopsy is a painful and most difficult method, which is used quite rarely.
Research is carried out both in public medical institutions and in private clinics.
Bite symptoms
Many people wonder whether a tick can completely crawl under a person’s skin. There are species that are not able to penetrate the subcutaneous layer, live there and reproduce. They bury only the head with the proboscis into the skin, and the abdomen remains outside and swells as the parasite is saturated with the blood of its victim. How to recognize a tick under the skin? Signs that indicate that a person has been bitten by a tick include:
- the appearance of a small wound on the skin for no apparent reason;
- redness around the wound;
- a small round and smooth compaction appears in the center of the spot;
- rapid and unexpected appearance of a dark mole.
The occurrence of these signs indicates that a person has a tick under the skin. You shouldn't panic, but you shouldn't be careless about it either. If you have never pulled out ticks, there is one rule to remember. There is no need to pull out the parasite or make sudden movements trying to throw it off the body. In this case, its head may come off and remain under the skin.
How to remove a tick
If you see a bloodsucker attached to your body, then you need to get rid of it quickly. If you have the opportunity to go to a clinic, then visit a doctor who will quickly remove the tick and treat the wound with antiseptics. You should also consult a doctor if the tick's head remains under the skin, as suppuration may occur. An inept attempt to remove the parasite will lead to the fact that the tick may go deeper under the skin.
This phenomenon is extremely rare and dangerous. If you can’t visit a doctor, you should try to get the bloodsucker out yourself. Here are some recommendations on how to do this correctly:
1. If a person has a tick under his skin, how do you pull it out without tearing the body off the head? The surest way is to use a special device that is sold in pharmacies. Outwardly, it looks like a fork with two teeth. The tick body is passed between them. Next, you need to start turning the device counterclockwise, gradually removing the tick. The advantage of this device is that the body of the parasite remains intact. There is no danger that some part of it will remain in the human skin.
2.If there is no such device, then you can use simple cosmetic tweezers. It should be placed as close to the surface of the skin as possible. The body of the parasite is grasped with tweezers. Next, they begin to turn the tool counterclockwise and gradually remove the tick from the human body.
3.If you don’t have a hook or tweezers, you can use a strong thread.
A loop is made from it, which is placed over the tick. The thread should be placed as close to the victim's skin as possible. Next, you need to start gently rocking the parasite. In this way, it is gradually removed from the human body.
4.If the tick is deep under the skin, then it is better to visit a doctor who will remove the parasite and treat the wound.
After the tick is removed, you need to disinfect the bite site and take an anti-inflammatory medicine. To be sure that the bloodsucker is not a carrier of a dangerous disease, you need to place it in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid and submit it for analysis.
What should you not do if you are bitten by a blood-sucking parasite? There is no need to drip oil, gasoline or other harmful substances onto it. It is believed that this forces the tick to get out of the victim’s body on its own. However, this does not always happen. You will only waste time and complicate the process of removing the parasite from the body.
How dangerous are ear mites?
An ixodid or argas tick that has settled in the ear can cause serious problems for a person, since the parasites are carriers of severe infectious diseases, including:
- typhus and relapsing fever;
- encephalitis;
- borreliosis;
- ehrlichiosis;
- various types of fever.
The Demodex mite contributes to the development of demodicosis, which is characterized by skin lesions - the appearance of acne, nodules, papules, and ulcers.
The waste products of ticks (and in the case of ixodid and argasid parasites, saliva that enters the bloodstream during a bite) are strong allergens that cause a reaction in the body in the form of itching, redness, rash and swelling. The bite of the argas tick is also very painful.
In addition, foreign organisms in the ear cause discomfort and pain, which worsen over time. If left untreated, mites can cause the development of inflammatory processes and hearing impairment. Children's bodies react most negatively to ear mites.
Preventive measures
To protect yourself from ixodid tick bites, you must take precautions while walking in nature. Particularly dangerous periods are spring and early summer. At this time, ticks are especially aggressive, as they experience severe hunger after hibernation.
When going for a walk, you need to take all precautions to protect yourself from getting ticks on your body. To do this you need to follow simple rules:
- Choose clothes that cover almost the entire surface of the body. Ticks live in tall grass, so they first fall on their feet. Gradually they rise up, trying to find a bare area of skin. When walking you need to wear long trousers and closed shoes.
- Clothing should be worn in such a way as to prevent the entry of parasites. The bottom of your shirt or T-shirt must be tucked into your trousers. Pants legs should be tucked into socks. The shirt must have long sleeves. If it is cool, you should wear a light jacket with a hood. If it is hot, then the head should be protected with a cap or hat.
- During a walk, clothes should be periodically inspected in order to notice parasites in time. If you are going to spend the night in the forest, you need to inspect your sleeping bags and tents.
- It is advisable that clothes for hiking be light in color, since it is harder to notice ticks on dark ones.
- Currently, there are a large number of protective drugs that can repel parasites. These are special gels, sprays, aerosols, ointments. You can buy them in a store or pharmacy. The most popular: “Biban”, “Taiga”, “Picnic-Antiklesch”, “Tornado”, “Deta-Vokko”.
Mites under the skin
A large number of parasitic creatures live on humans. The subcutaneous layer is the habitat of some types of mites. Many of them are pathogenic. These include scabies mites and demodexes.
The latter are opportunistic. This suggests that the human body is able to cope with these mites on its own if there is a strong immune system. Demodexes live on the human body, but do not cause harm. If the immune system is weakened, ticks begin to actively reproduce. In this case, the disease demodicosis occurs.
Depending on the area of the skin in which mites parasitize, they are divided into types:
- Demodex folliculorum. They live in hair follicles.
- Demodex brevis. This species lives and reproduces in sebaceous ducts and glands.
What does a tick look like under the skin of a person? This can be seen with multiple magnifications. the parasite is 0.4 mm in size and is not visible to the naked eye.
Reviews from victims
You can get many diseases from ticks. I was vaccinated against encephalitis back in my student days, and I still haven’t gotten sick. A colleague of mine contracted Lyme disease several years ago. The first symptoms were a severe headache and a very high fever. After a while, severe pain in the limbs developed. The treatment took place in St. Petersburg. A few weeks later everything went away, there seemed to be no consequences left.
Alik
Ticks have bitten me many times already, as I often go to my dacha, which is located in the forest. I always managed on my own. They extracted bloodsuckers using sunflower oil. After that I always took antibiotics. But one of my friends died of encephalitis after much suffering. They treated me for everything except this. You should always bring the tick in for analysis.
Elena
I was attacked by a parasite in the botanical garden last year. I noticed it only on the second day. We went to the hospital, it turned out to be closed. It was Sunday then. Then in another hospital they pulled out this tick and threw it away. No checks or analyzes were done. Everything worked out fine.
Alice
Tick removal oil never works.
He just dies, but doesn’t get out. In the ambulance they advise to unscrew it with tweezers. I can’t remember exactly which way. Then, you must have the parasite tested for encephalitis. Andrey
How does demodicosis infection occur?
Many readers are interested in whether a tick can crawl completely under the skin. The answer is yes. Demodexes live, feed and reproduce under the skin. This species has two routes of infection - direct contact with an infected person or through common household items: clothing, bedding, towels, and so on.
Demodexes can remain on the surface of the skin for up to three hours. Next, they penetrate the hair follicle or sebaceous gland, where they begin to actively feed on the epithelium and adipose tissue.
Most often, they choose to live on the face, back or cervical region of a person. On the face, the area of the nose, eyes, eyelashes and eyebrows are mainly affected. However, Demodex can live on any part of the body.
What you need to know
The first thing you should understand is the types of ear parasites, as already mentioned, there are three of them. The first is Demodex, this parasite can live in the human sebaceous glands, as well as hair and ears. The second is arags, an inhabitant of abandoned buildings, attics, caves, where a person can become infected with it. The third is ixodid, this parasite can be infected in Africa and Asia, but it is not found here. You can see what they look like in the photo.
Causes of demodicosis
An opportunistic tick begins to activate in the presence of the following reasons:
- Unhealthy eating. Excessive content of glucose and easily digestible carbohydrates in tissue and blood cells causes activation of the tick, since this substance is an excellent nutrient medium.
- Sharing common household items or clothing.
- Passive lifestyle. This leads to a decrease in the body's resistance.
- Treatment with antibiotics and hormonal agents.
- Presence of chronic diseases.
- Stress and nervous tension.
- Immunodeficiency.
- Use of low-quality cosmetics, leading to clogging of sebaceous ducts, glands and follicles.
Signs of demodicosis
Infection occurs when a tick gets under the skin. What to do in this case? How to determine the onset of the disease? The first sign of the presence of this parasite is a general persistent redness of the facial skin. Further symptoms:
- The appearance of acne with ulcers on the face.
- Inflammation, irritation and hardening of the skin around the eyes, increased tearing, dryness, the appearance of stye that does not respond to conventional treatment. As the disease progresses, the cornea becomes damaged and vision decreases.
- Dilated blood vessels.
- Purulent rashes on other areas of the skin.
Direct sunlight helps reduce the area of inflammation.
Allergies and the risk of contracting encephalitis
Children most often experience an allergic reaction. It manifests itself as swelling of the bitten area and slight redness. This is the body's reaction to poison. Itching and burning also appear, but rather weak. Such signs are not dangerous and will go away within a few days.
In some cases, an attack by a bloodsucker causes angioedema or leads to anaphylactic shock. This causes severe difficulty breathing, and the person quickly loses consciousness.
The most dangerous disease that can be contracted from a tick is tick-borne encephalitis. This disease quickly affects the central nervous system. If you do not seek medical help in time, the disease will lead to paralysis or even death.
The symptoms of encephalitis vary greatly, but in almost all cases the affected area of the skin becomes very swollen and red. Also, the bitten area usually hurts. Additional symptoms include:
- General deterioration of the patient's condition.
- Weakness and tremors in the limbs.
- Severe nausea and vomiting.
- Increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees.
- Severe headache.
If these symptoms appear, you should immediately go to the hospital. There they will carry out the necessary tests that will confirm or refute infection with encephalitis.
Therapy for demodicosis
The main method of control is complex treatment, which consists of the external use of special ointments, creams, solutions, as well as strengthening the immune system.
It should be borne in mind that only by eliminating the causes of the disease can good results be achieved and relapses avoided.
Doctors recommend regularly cleansing your facial skin with special cosmetics and doing mild peeling. Patients may be prescribed Permethrin and Metronidazole ointments. The full course of treatment for mites under the skin usually lasts just over a month.
Scabies mites
The sizes of these parasites are approximately the same as Demodex. Therefore, you can only see what a scabies mite looks like using a microscope. It digs passages under human skin. This causes unbearable itching. Therefore, the second name for the scabies mite is itching. It causes scabies, a highly contagious disease.
Itching can infect any part of the body, but prefers the area between the fingers, perineum and armpits. A man scratches the affected areas. In these places, wounds appear, into which infection penetrates.
Infection occurs mainly through contact with a sick person. Sexual transmission is also possible. Sometimes children who sleep in the same bed with sick parents become infected.
The itching only becomes active at night. A sign of the disease is not only itching, but also a rash.
If scabies is diagnosed, quarantine is declared. Therapy is carried out using special ointments. In this case, all people in contact with the patient should receive treatment.
For scabies, medications containing peritrins or benzyl benzoate are used. Doctors can prescribe Spregal, Lindane, Crotamiton, Ivermectin, and sulfur ointment.
After the destruction of ticks, medications based on antibiotics “Neomycin” and “Baneocin” can be prescribed.
What not to do yourself
The most common problem is the inflammatory process and the appearance of suppuration. It is not recommended to carry out treatment on your own, as this can seriously harm the dog. A few rules of what you should never do:
- Squeeze out pus from the tumor. This is fraught with infection in the blood and the subsequent development of sepsis.
- Open the seal yourself. The reason is the same - infection of the wound.
- Prescribe and apply ointments yourself, use compresses. Incorrectly selected medications can increase irritation and itching and cause burns.
- Warm the seal. If pus has formed in the wound, heating is strictly prohibited. This procedure can trigger its entry into the blood.
Neoplasms can be of a different nature and appear as a result of other diseases, even if the symptoms are similar.
Prevention
It is well known that disease is easier to prevent than to treat. As already mentioned, one of the main causes of demodicosis is a weakened immune system. Therefore, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are one of the main conditions that help to avoid the disease.
To prevent ticks from parasitizing under the skin of a person, you should follow the rules of personal hygiene, constantly wash your hands, and do not use common household items.
It is also necessary to take a shower and visit the bathhouse at least once a week. During this procedure, the pores and sebaceous ducts are cleaned.
It's hard to believe, but scabies mite infection is not related to hygiene. This parasite feels great on both clean and dirty bodies. It can remain on the surface for no more than 30 minutes. During this time, the tick gnaws through the passage and hides under the skin. A preventative measure that will help avoid infection with this parasite is to minimize physical contact with strangers.
Compliance with all these measures will protect you not only from diseases caused by subcutaneous mites, but also other dangerous ailments.
Treatment methods
How to get rid of ixodid, arags and demodex ear mites is known only to a specialist who, as a result of the research, will prescribe the correct treatment.
Medications
Complex treatment is prescribed only after mechanical removal of the tick:
- First, the doctor rinses the ear canal with hydrogen peroxide or saline to get rid of parasites.
- Antiparasitic drugs are prescribed.
- This is followed by taking antihistamines.
Complex treatment will be more effective if you balance your diet while taking medications: avoid smoked foods, fried foods, and sweets. During treatment, it is recommended to eat fruits and vegetables.
Attention!
Until the course of treatment is completed, it is strictly forbidden to visit saunas, steam baths, or go to the pool.
In addition to medications, when treating ear mites, physiotherapy is prescribed: laser coagulation, electrophoresis, ozone therapy.
Drops
What to put in the ear and how to treat ixodid, demodex, and argas ear mites using drops, you should find out from a specialist.
To get rid of the arags parasite, the ears should be treated with sodium chloride (9%), alcohol solution (70%). This treatment will cut off oxygen to the parasite, and it will try to crawl out of the ear.
Vegetable oil can be placed inside the ear. After some time, the parasite will appear on the surface. You can remove it with tweezers.
An ophthalmologist prescribes Blepharogel to combat demodicosis. The drug is developed on the basis of sulfur, which copes well with parasites living inside the ducts of the sebaceous glands.
In addition, hyaluronic acid, which is part of Blepharogel, helps restore damaged cells and improves immunity. Drops such as Albucid, Physostigmine, and Tobramycin are also effective.
Ointment
Let's consider how to treat Demodex ear mites, as well as what medications to use to completely get rid of the parasite.
In addition to drops, medicinal ointments have a good effect. Ointments are prescribed for severely advanced cases: rash on the face, damaged eyelashes and hair follicles.
The most effective and common are ointments:
- Benzyl benzoate. The drug has an acaricidal effect and copes with any type of ticks. Affects adults, but does not affect tick eggs.
- Ointment Yam. A highly effective remedy in the fight against demodicosis.
- Rosamet. Good antimicrobial cream. Affects papulopustular inflammatory manifestations.
- Sulfuric ointment. The only drawback of the drug is drying of the skin, so it is recommended to use Panthenol simultaneously with sulfur ointment.
- Permethrin ointment. Synthetic insecticide against ticks. As a result of exposure to the parasite, the integrity of the membranes of nerve cells is destroyed.
- Metrogil. The medicine helps to cope with mites and relieves inflammation.
- Zinc ointment. Relieves irritation, has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic effects.
In addition to drops and ointments for ticks, the doctor prescribes enterosorbents, antibiotics, antihistamines and a vitamin complex.
Folk remedies
To minimize the risk associated with complications after infection with a parasite, you first need to be examined by a specialist, and only then begin treating ear mites with folk remedies.
Effective methods of traditional medicine are highlighted:
- salt with lemon juice. To prepare the pulp, you will need to squeeze the juice of one lemon, take an equal amount of salt and juice, mix until smooth. It is recommended to apply the prepared gruel onto a cotton pad and then apply it to the affected area. After 10 minutes, wipe the pulp with cotton wool.
- Garlic lotions. Pass a juicy head of garlic through a garlic press, apply to the problem area and leave for 10 minutes. After time has passed, remove the slurry using a cotton pad.
- Tincture of calendula. Marigolds are a good anti-inflammatory agent. To make getting rid of ticks more effective, it is recommended to instill 1 drop of tincture into the ear every day.
- Wormwood decoction. It is considered an effective remedy for treating the disease. To prepare the decoction, pour 2 tbsp into an enamel container. crushed raw materials (dried wormwood), pour 1 liter of boiling water, put on low heat and cook for 5 minutes. Leave for 3 hours. Before use, the decoction must be strained. The intake of the medicinal infusion is as follows: on the first day, take ½ glass every hour, on the second day, ½ glass every 2 hours, on the third and subsequent days - 1/2 glass every 3 hours.
- Solutions containing alcohol. These drugs are rapid response drugs.
- Tar soap. A very effective remedy that will not leave any chance for parasites to survive. To prepare a concentrated solution, take tar soap and rub it on a fine grater. Then you need to dissolve the soap in a drop of water, moisten the cotton wool and put it in your ear. After 15 minutes, take it out.
Many people advise making ointments based on olive oil or lard and using additional products and procedures together with them:
- apply ointment based on birch tar;
- instill marigold tincture;
- make garlic lotions.
During treatment, it is prohibited to use cosmetics, visit the bathhouse, swimming pool, or take water procedures. It is advisable to review your diet and exclude fried, smoked, pickled, salty, and spicy foods from the menu. It’s worth mentioning right away that treatment for ear mites is long-term.
