Your first instinct may be to grab a match and burn it off, but experts highly recommend not doing that. Gross Truth About Burning TicksA close up of a tick embedded in a dog. Yes, a hot match placed against a tick's abdomen will make it voluntarily back out of your skin. Other Bad Tick Hacks to AvoidA person's skin with a tick sucking blood with the head embedded in the skin. Pridannikov loading...Oh, and in case you're thinking of using another Michigan "hack", like nail polish remover, alcohol, or even soap.