What is Head Lice? Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Treatment Cure.

What is Head Lice?

Head lice are small, wingless, blood-sucking bugs. However, they live in the hair on your head and hunt off the blood from your scalp. A louse (a single adult) is about the area of a sesame seed. A nit (louse egg) is about the area of a small flake of dandruff.

What are the symptoms of head lice?

Some symptoms of head lice may include:-

  • Severe scalp itchiness
  • An experience like something is crawling on your scalp
  • Sores and scabs on your scalp from lacerating

What causes head lice?

Head lice are infectious. You can become contaminated with head lice when the bugs crawl onto your head. Ways you might obtain head lice may include:-

  • Affecting your head to the head of someone with head lice
  • Splitting the personal items (e.g., comb) of someone with head lice
  • Taking a fabric item after a person with head lice

While transference of lice via inanimate objects may be viable, it’s been established to be highly unlikely. Some of these lifeless objects may incorporate brushes, combs, barrettes, headbands, headphones, and hats.

However, it also is viable for lice to live for a time on upholstered furniture, bedding, towels, or clothing.

Again, it should be underlined that the greatest concern for transmission is close head-to-head connection occurring severely in children during play. Transferrence via objects is a rare deviation, according to much more sources.

However, there are various opinions on the transference of head lice via inanimate objects. But the science does not loo to support transference in this manner.

Who is at Risk for head lice?

Preschool and elementary school students have the greatest risk of obtaining head lice. They tend to play firmly together.

However, there’s also can be raised of head lice for family members of school-aged children. People who effort in a daycare center, preschool, or elementary school share this risk.

How are head lice diagnosed?

You or your medical consultant can diagnose head lice by:-

  • Examining your hair, close to the scalp, for lice
  • Examining your hair, close to the scalp, for nits
  • Running fine-toothed lice comb through your hair, beginning from the scalp, to catch lice and nits

The nits are dark-colored, and contrived lice will be light-colored. However, adult lice flow rapidly. You will severely likely find nits if you find any proof of head lice on your scalp. You can easily differentiate in the middle of the nits and dandruff flakes or other debris in your hair. Severe debris should be stopped easily. Nits will look like they are stuck to your hair.

Head lice are infectious. However, if one person in your family has them, others may too. It is a better idea to examine everyone in the family for signs of lice every few days.

How are head lice treated?

However, there are many head lice treatments accessible. Severe available treatment will require to be used twice. The second treatment, after a week to 9 days, will stop any newly contrived nits.

Some of the viable treatments for head lice are shown below.

Medications

However, there are both over-the-counter (OTC) and suggest head lice treatments. Two kinds of chemicals are familiarly used in OTC head lice treatment.

Pyrethrin is a pesticide that’s obtained from chrysanthemum flowers. However, it is accepted for use in people 2 years old and older. Do not take pyrethrin if you are allergic to chrysanthemums or ragweed.

Permethrin (Nix) is a synthetic pesticide that alike to pyrethrin. However, it is accepted for use in people 2 months old and older. Instruction head lice treatments may also include other chemicals.

Benzyl alcohol lotion (Ulesfia) is fragrant alcohol. It is useful to cure head lice in people 6 months old and older. Malathion (Ovide) is an organophosphate toxicant. It is useful to cure lice in people who are 6 years old or older. Similarly, it is suggested for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Malathions are burnable. Stay away from open flame and heat sources like hairdryers when taking this product.

Lindane is an organochlorine toxicant. It is accessible in lotion or shampoo forms. Lindane is normally only taken as the last report. However, it can create sensible side effects such as seizures and death. Lindane shouldn’t be taken by premature babies or by people who have a report of seizures.

To decrease the risk of side effects:-

  • Do not use severe than one medication.
  • Do not use any medication severe often than directed.

Alternative treatment

However, if you want to ignore taking pesticides, use fine-toothed lice comb or a flea comb (sold in pet stores) to stop lice. Appeal olive oil to your hair before combing. However, this will support the lice and nits stick to the comb.

Begin connecting at the scalp and effort through the end of the hair. You will require to do this every 2 to 3 days until you have no severe signs of lice or nits.

 

Last Updated on October 11, 2023 by anup