Dish soap for complete tick detachment

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of tick-borne illness, the safest and most efficacious mode of tick removal remains controversial. 1 A variety of mechanical, chemical, and physical techniques have been described, but evidence remains limited. Forceps or tweezers removal is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; however, this technique's efficacy for complete detachment is 82.5% and thus may be complicated by retained mouthparts. 2 Liquid soap recently showed 100% efficacy in a series of 9 patients. 1 We describe this technique and demonstrate its success in a dermatologic setting.