How to safely remove a leech
To remove a leech, you first have to find it; this is probably the first step to removing a leech. Know that they can be on any part of the body, once you spot a leech on your skin, thoroughly check the rest of your body to see if any more have attached themselves to you. Once you find a leech you can safely begin to remove it following these steps.
Steps for removing a leech
Step 1: locate the head and mouth
You should know that a leech is smaller and slimmer than the rest of its body. Try as much not to panic, carefully look for the narrowest part of the leech to locate its mouth. This is usually the part attached to your skin
Step 2: Pull the skin under the leech taut
Gently and carefully use one hand to pull your skin under the leech until it taut
Step 3: Slide a fingernail underneath the mouth
This is where you separate the leech from your skin to do that. You gently slide your fingernail under the leech’s mouth
Step 4: Flick the leech away
Use your finger to flick the leech away before it reattaches. Here you have successfully separated the leech from your skin.
Step 5: Clean the wound
It is important that you clean your wound in order to avoid infection. To clean your wound appropriately, you make use of rubbing alcohol or a first aid cleanser.
Step 6: Bandage your wound
After you remove the leech, you’ll see a lot of bleeding. Clean the surface properly and use a sterile bandage to cover it. Change the bandage frequently for the first few hours until bleeding stops.
Following these steps, you’ll successfully be able to remove leeches from your body without any complications. There are also things to note that you must not do in a leech bite situation.
What not to do
There is some supposed common knowledge method removal that you should absolutely not try. These methods can cause the leech to vomit blood into your wound and increase the risk of infection:
- Bug repellant
- Salting
- Fire
- Shampoo