How to find ticks on women — the self-check with your phone camera

TickSpot Guide · Updated July 2026

In short: The two biggest hurdles in a self-check are long hair and spots you simply can't see without a second person — the back of the neck, your back, behind the ears. With TickSpot, your phone becomes a movable eye: you hold the camera where no mirror can reach, and the inverted view shows a tick as a bright dot. Freeze, look, move on.

How the self-check works with TickSpot

1. Open TickSpot — after gardening, a run in the park, or a hike, ideally right while changing clothes.
2. Scalp and hairline: Part your hair section by section (with your fingers if it's down, otherwise undo the ponytail) and hold the camera close over the scalp. The inverted view doesn't need a clear line of sight — a bright dot between the hairs is enough.
3. Back of the neck, ears, shoulders: Simply hold the camera behind your head and freeze the image — then look at the still calmly in front of you. That's how you check spots you'd otherwise only see with two mirrors.
4. Body from top to bottom: armpits, under the bra band (wandering ticks like to get caught there), belly button, the waistband of your pants or leggings, groin, backs of the knees, ankles.
5. In poor light, switch on the app's light; zoom in on tiny dots.

Typical snag points

Ticks often wander over the skin for a while before they bite — and get caught at tight spots in your clothing: bra bands, cuffs, sock edges, the hem of sports leggings. Running the camera along these lines once takes seconds and catches many ticks before they bite. Not sure whether a dark dot is a tick or a mole? There's a dedicated guide for that.

Note: This article does not replace medical advice. After a tick bite with redness or other symptoms, seek medical advice — see also "Tick bite — what to do now".