Head Lice Overview

The infestation of the scalp with head lice is termed as pediculosis. Head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is different from body louse. The former are obligate parasites, which spend their entire lifespan on the scalp of humans, feeding on the human blood, biting the skin four to five times in a single day. The louse secretes its saliva, which acts as an anticoagulant and sucks the blood from the bite directly into its digestive tract. While doing this, it may also excrete dark red feces into the skin.

This disease is extremely contagious and is transmitted to others through personal contact or sharing of the daily use belongings. A louse cannot jump or fly. So, the infection is purely through close physical contact.

The infection may be caused by unhygienic living conditions or contact with a person who is already infected. The disease is common in small children (3-10 years of age) and can become serious if not diagnosed properly at the first instance. The symptoms include itchy scalp, rashes on the neck due to lice bites and sometimes the itchy portions may become crusty due to scratching involuntarily or knowingly to relieve the itching. These crusts can become infected leading to fever resulting in swollen lymph nodes in small children indicating an infestation.

Head lice is not known to be the cause of any other disease as such. The tickling effect of the lice moving through the hair is also a common problem. Irritability, though non-specific, has been known to be caused.

Head lice is very easily transmitted to small children while they mingle with each other. The various symptoms associated with head lice are itchy scalp and infected sores which may cause fever. The prevention tips to avoid getting infected is to maintain proper hygienic conditions, avoid using personal belongings of others, to maintain separate combs, hair brushes, and towels. The infestation is common at school, sporting events, gyms, slumber parties, and changing rooms. Before visiting public places, be absolutely sure about the cleanliness and hygiene of the place.

The diagnosis of the infection can be done by simply looking into the person’s hair. You should use disposable hand gloves, part the hair and look into the patient’s head directly under bright light. You can even use a magnifying glass for the purpose. Look deep for moving lice as well as nits (eggs). The developing embryonated eggs are the nits which are very hard to detect. They can be translucent or whitish in color. Look around the neck and the ears because they are the most common breeding areas for lice.

The first and the foremost thing about head lice treatment is that you should not panic. Head lice can be treated but it is a long term process which requires patience. The following processes may be utilized: combing with a fine toothed brush or comb (0.3 mm) can be done to comb out nits and lice. There are a variety of anti-lice shampoos available in drugstores which can be applied on the scalp and hair, and then combing can be more effectively done to drive out the lice.

Manual hand picking may be implemented in case of light infection, if small children permit it, and if it is not painful. Another person is needed to help out the patient in this case. Often, anti-lice treatment may not work as the lice may have developed a resistance against the treatment. In this case, consult a dermatologist, to avoid further contagion and a scalp friendly treatment.

The chemicals applied to the scalp to wipe out the lice must be applied in the specified quantity, according to the procedure stated on the product. Stick to the prescribed amounts and time as pointed out by the product manufacturers. The recommendation is to go for natural processes to be free from the harmful effects of chemicals as long as they are not absolutely inevitable. Herbal products are also available which are perfectly natural and have more or less no side effects.

Electronic combs can be used which give out a small electrical discharge to kill the lice and nits. The last option that you can opt for is to clean shave your head, thus eliminating the problem from the roots. But, this drastic measure is rarely required as head lice can be easily managed by the above mentioned means.