Archive for the 'Head Lice' Category

Pediculus humanus capitis (species of louse that infects man) is a scientific name for head louse.

Head louse is a parasitic insect that lives in human hair and scalp. To survive, these parasites need human blood.

Head louse infestation occurs in people throughout the world.

Almost six-to-twelve million people get head lice every year and is a very common condition that is mostly seen in children aging three-to-ten.

Head louse can be found in three forms, which are nit, nymph, and adult.

Nit is the ovum of the head louse, which is attached to the human hair with the layer of chitin. They are yellow-to-white in color with oval shape.

Nymph is the next stage of nit. Nit hatches into nymph in one week. They resemble adults in many aspects, but with the lack of genitalia development. It will take one week for nymphs to develop into adults.

Adult louse sizes about sesame seed with six legs. It is dark-to-grayish white in color. This can live up to thirty days. In order to live, adult lice would feed on human blood. If head louse falls from the head, it can survive for about two days.

Hi Friends! Don’t panic or don’t get annoyed by head lice, all you need to do is be thoughtful and have a positive approach treating them.

Yes, you have to take head lice treatment, for that have to approach a doctor.

The doctors usually prescribe a medicated shampoo, cream, or lotion to kill the lice.

These may be over-the-counter or prescription medications, depending on what head lice treatments have already been tried by you at home or by some other doctor or by your self analysis.

Some head lice treatments do not help in completely getting rid of head lice, this may be because the parasites are resistant towards certain chemicals in the shampoo, while some treatments serve the purpose at their best.

Remember to follow the directions of the doctor very carefully. The doctor may suggest for a shampoo which needs to be used in a specific manner and also a special comb which can pull out the lice as well as its nits.

You will realize that this will be very helpful to you. Wetting the hair beforehand is recommended because it temporarily immobilizes the lice and they become easier to comb out.

Hi Friends! You or your child or both of you’ll have a problem of head lice, then here’s something useful for you to get rid of these trouble some species.

These species are very annoying and make the scalp itchy and inflamed and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.

These species aren’t dangerous and surprisingly they don’t spread disease, but are highly contagious and can spread quickly from person to person, especially in group settings (schools, child-care centers, slumber parties, sports activities, camps, and even playgrounds).

Contagious! Wondering how these tiny species can spread from one person to the other. You will be quite surprised to know that they can’t fly or jump! But they have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair.

They spread mainly through head-to-head contact but keeping in mind that sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats can also help pass them along.

Children and teens are most prone to catching lice because they tend to have close physical contact with each other and often share personal items. If you are thinking that you got them through your pets then you have mistaken because it is assured that pets can’t catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.