Head lice are roundworms present on the scalp of the human being. These are small in size and suk blood from the scalp of the human being. If we look at general statistics, the issue most commonly happens in the body of children compared to adults. Suppose a person is suffering from head lice issues. In that case, it can indicate that the person is either not taking care of their hygiene or living in an unhealthy environment because it can directly transfer into your body from the infected person’s head.
Head lice are not a deadly or painful disease but can potentially live in the body for years and can be very irritating if present in your body. The details about the head lice infection, its symptoms, cause, prevention, etc., are in their blog below. You must go through the details as it can help you when suffering from an infection.
Symptoms
Some of the symptoms that might appear in your body when suffering from the head lice issue are-
- You will always find a person with head lice itching their scalp. Sometimes, this itching might start on the neck and ears. The itching happens because the lice bite your scalp and neck portion and suck the blood out of them. The symptoms of itching might take 4-6 weeks to develop. After that, it gets severe with every passing day.
- Small and red bumps start developing on your scalp when you itch your head continuously. These are known as sores. In some people, these sores develop on the neck and shoulders also.
- You will notice eggs in your hair shaft when infected by head lice. You can spot these eggs around ears where the density of ears is lower than the top of the head. Sometimes these lice eggs mean that you have live lice, but it is not sure.
- When you check your head properly in case of lice, then you will spot small creatures moving quickly in your head. They move because they want to avoid light as they are sensitive to it.
- A person might also show hair loss due to head lice. It happens because the lice start blocking the hair follicles and don’t let the hairs derive nutrition from the scalp. It makes them weak, and they fall eventually.
You should see your physician as soon as you suspect lice in your head. They will confirm whether your head has lice present in it or not. Sometimes people mistake lice for some other things like-
- Residue from any hair products and dandruff.
- Scab, dirt, and debris in your skin.
- Other small insects that might be living on your head.
- Dead hair tissues or hair shaft.
Causes
The head lice is a very small insect that is gray and is the size of strawberry seeds. They attach to the head and suck blood from the scalp, which works as nutrition for their body. The female laying eggs on your scalp first releases some sticky substance on the head. It makes the egg stick to your head properly so that they don’t fall with the movement of your head. The life cycle of head lice depends only on the human body. They transmit from one body to another through some contact, no matter if it is personal or through the object. The three stages of the life cycle of lice are-
- The first stage of the lice is eggs which will hatch on your scalp within 6 to 9 days after the female lays it.
- After 9 to 12 days, the immature form of larvae that came out of the egg will turn mature.
- The third stage is adult lice which live on your head for 3 to 4 weeks. In this period, they derive nutrition from the blood and lay eggs. They lay 7-8 eggs per day on average.
One way these lice transfer from one person to another is direct head-to-head contact. But the chances of such contact are very less. The chances of the transfer of lice from any physical object are very high, and examples of some objects are-
- Hats and scarves that you use to cover your head and neck.
- Hair accessories that people share most commonly.
- Pillows and towel sharing can also become reasons for transmission.
- Over-the-head Headphones can also transfer lice from one body to another.
How To Diagnose Head Lice?
The physician will examine your head in a wet and lubricated situation to diagnose head lice. In this situation, the physician will comb the hair with a fine-tooth comb end-to-end. If the lice are present in the hair, combing hairs will be difficult. The comb will not move smoothly in the hair.
To identify nits, the physician uses Wood’s light. In this light, the nits of lice appear blue. If they find nits, they can take them and examine them under the microscope. If they find any traces of live lice, you might need treatment.
Preventions
Some preventive measures that a person can take to stop the spread of lice are-
- People should never share their accessories like towels, brushes, hats, pillows, combs, etc., even with family members.
- Children should not make head-to-head contact with other kids because the highest chance of lice spread is in the body of these kids. This is because their scalp is softer than adults, making it easy for them to suck blood and serve nutrition.
- One should not share protective headgear like sports or cycling products because they can be a suitable lice carrier.
Treatment of Head Lice
There are two ways of treating Head Lice with Ivermectin in your body-
- The first way is non-prescription medicines which include Ivrea 1 Soolantra Cream. A person can apply it on hair after washing the hair with shampoo and rinsing it with white vinegar. It will help if you leave it on your head according to the directions provided by the physician.
- The next way is prescription oral medicine Ivermectin. The physician suggests you use the medicine with non-prescription drugs to eradicate lice quickly. Children above 15 kg weight and adults below 65 are safe to use the drug.