What is Lice?
Lice is a parasitic infection that affects the scalp, body, and pubic area and involves tiny insects (lice) that latch onto the skin and feed on human blood. These insects will seek areas of skin covered by hair, as another aspect of their life cycle is that the female lice produce a sticky substance they use to attach eggs to the base of hair shafts where they emerge from the follicle.
Head lice, body lice, and pubic lice (crabs) are all able to be spread through direct and indirect contact and will move between hosts quite readily. Lice is a very contagious infection as a result.
What Causes Lice?
Humans get lice by coming into contact with the insects or their eggs. That is the only explanation for what causes lice, and this contact can be made through closely stored belongs in shared storage spaces, sharing grooming items or items of clothing between friends or family members, contact with furniture that has lice on it, and sexual contact with cases of pubic lice.
Prompt and effective treatment is essential as lice can and will spread quickly, and one of the most common scenarios where a lice infestation becomes explosive is in school environments with young children.
Lice Symptoms
The most common lice symptoms are intense itching in the affected areas, a tickling sensation when hair on the head is moved, visual spotting of lice seen at the nape of the neck or over the ears, nits (lice eggs) seen on hair shafts and the frontal hairline, sores on the neck, scalp, or shoulders, or bite marks that are just outside affected areas that have hair cover.
Lice Treatment
The standard approach for lice treatment is to use a medicated cream or shampoo that contains Permethrin, and the active ingredient in these products is toxic to lice and will kill them and their eggs / larvae quickly. A doctor may also recommend an oral lice killer medication like Stromectol, and it will work the same way to get rid of lice on the head or body. For a severe and stubborn head lice infestation the person may be advised to use Natroba, which is another effective topical treatment for lice.
There are also special machines that use hot air to dehydrate head lice. This may be a possibility for young children who are unable to use parasiticide medications but these machines can only be operated by a trained individual in a clinical environment.
