Some people have no idea about head lice and have never seen lice in their eyes. Those who happened to encounter them survived, if not a catastrophe, then a shock, no doubt. On the agenda - immediately a lot of questions. Where did this infection come from? Where to run for help? How to get rid of this abomination? So that the trouble would not be taken by surprise, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with how to treat pediculosis at home, and along the way, also with the features of lice and the diseases they cause.
Pediculosis: what, in fact, is it?
The tricky word lice is a trivial infection of a person with lice. One nuance is important. Animals may have lice, but they have nothing to do with pediculosis in humans. At the site of parasitism, these creatures are divided into 3 types - pubic, head and wardrobe. The pediculosis caused by them is called, respectively, pubic, head and clothes. Ectoparasites strictly adhere to "their" territory. Under natural conditions (on one person) they never mix, but in the laboratory, when forced to breed, they produce viable offspring. When treating pediculosis at home, you need to consider that lice are different, which means that the methods against them are also different. This statement is reliable, since the structure of the legs of each species is such that parasites can only use hairs of a certain section. Head louse - round head hair in the section, pubic - triangular vegetation of the pubis, armpits and other parts of the body, and the body coat is not able to exist in the hairline.
General features of lice
Despite some differences, lice have a lot in common. So, in the process of evolution, all species lost their wings, but acquired the ability to quickly move around the body of the victim. On the head of the lice are extremely developed piercing-sucking organs, consisting of two modified lip-stylet and a proboscis with "teeth". Here comes the salivary gland. Lice saliva interferes with the blood clotting of the victim and almost always causes itching when it enters the wound. This is the main symptom that “hints” that pediculosis is caught. Means for treatment, it is advisable to choose the least toxic, non-irritating and already injured skin. All lice are very responsive to environmental conditions. So, they feel great at +28 degrees. At a temperature of +22 and from +40 ° C, the development of nits stops, but they do not die, but only fall into suspended animation. Nymphs cease to eat under such conditions. At + 10 ° C, adults leave the host, and at +55 ° C and -13 ° C they die within 5 minutes. Nits can withstand more extreme temperatures, namely +60 and -20 . They instantly die at +100 degrees. Without food, parasites live up to 7 days.
Breeding lice
Lice of any kind have males and females. The former are always smaller, their life is half as long. The second live up to 40 days, managing to lay up to 140 eggs during this time. In the population, the number of females always dominates. Lice eggs are called nits. Females attach them to the hairs with a fairly strong glandular cement. The treatment of pediculosis at home should be based on drugs that kill both adults and nits. The louse eggs are quite large, visible to the naked eye. They vaguely resemble a comma or gray-white bags. Living nits are more saturated in color, and when pressed, they produce a characteristic click. The dead are dimmer, as if empty. Both are removed heavily from the hair. Each female is able to lay up to 10 eggs per day.
Head lice
The disease is caused by head lice and appears on the scalp, eyebrows, beard, mustache. The female head louse reaches 4 mm in length, the male grows to 3 mm. You can get infected only from a person suffering from head lice when using common hairbrushes, hairpins, headgear, bedding (pillowcases, pillows) or with close contact involving hair and head contact. Most often, this pediculosis is observed in children. Home treatment is carried out by medical and folk remedies. Any of these should not have serious side effects.
Symptoms
- constant itching of the head;
- the child may become moody, inattentive;
- eczema, pyoderma, crusts, swelling and irritation of the skin in places of scratching.
A child can catch lice in a nursery, kindergarten, school, camp, wherever children communicate closely with each other.
Head lice treatment
For many parents, this is a disaster - head lice in children. Treatment at home will not help unless you identify and exclude the source of the disease. Parents should not hesitate to report the problem to the child care facility in order to check all the children in the class or group for lice. In pharmacies, many types of shampoos are sold. Not all of them act the same.
"Pedilin" is good because it kills both lice and nits, but it has side effects in the form of allergic rashes, nausea, vomiting, seizures. True, all this happens when the product enters the mouth. However, Pedilin is not recommended for babies.
"Parasidosis" is sold with a comb for combing dead nits, but also not suitable for babies.
There is also "Knock", LiceGuard and others. All of them have an age limit.
Sprays and other products
Due to the fact that the head is the most massive head lice, methods of treating the disease are quite widely developed. In addition to shampoos, sprays are available for sale.
Nyuda is based on silicone. Getting on the hair, he envelops the lice, preventing their breathing.
Paranit has a similar effect. The disadvantage of these tools is that they do not act on nits, that is, processing must be carried out repeatedly.
Pediculen Ultra kills both eggs and adult parasites, but it is not recommended to use it to treat children under 5 years old, pregnant and lactating.
Pediculosis treatment at home can be carried out with ointments (mercury, boric, “Nyx”). They are not very convenient to use and have an age limit. Nyx also has side effects.
Scallop "AntiV" is very popular. The only drawback is the high price.
Hats, pillowcases, combs, towels, ribbons for a person suffering from pediculosis need to be boiled or steamed. All family members must also undergo preventative treatment for lice.
Folk methods
The treatment of pediculosis with folk remedies at home earlier, when there was no such abundance of drugs, was carried out quite successfully. Among them are:
1. Mix kerosene and any vegetable oil in a ratio of 1: 1. With a mixture, spread on the head, cover with a plastic bag. After half an hour, rinse thoroughly, comb out the dead nits or choose with your hands. The tool is effective, but after its use dandruff may appear.
2. Cranberry juice, water diluted with lemon juice, vinegar. Any acidic environment kills adult nits and destroys the egg shell, but causing skin irritation.
3. Tar soap. Means for obtaining the effect must be applied several times.
4. Hair dye.
The mechanical effect of hot temperatures (up to 55 degrees) is quite effective and non-toxic. You need to wash your hair and blow dry it at a temperature that you can hardly tolerate. An electric rectifier or electric comb for styling is also used.
Dead nits should be removed from the hair. This is done with a thick comb, and to facilitate the process, a balm, fish oil, combing liquid are applied to the hair.
It is impossible to use dichlorvos, dust and machine oil because of the high toxicity of these funds.
Treatment of head lice with folk remedies (such as essential oils or wormwood decoctions) is effective only for prevention. Rinses rinse hair with broths, apply oil to dry locks in the amount of a few drops. Preventive measures include teaching the child not to use other people's hats, hairpins and combs. Any other prevention from infection with head lice does not save.
Pubic lice, or phthiasis
The disease is caused by pubic lice. Outwardly, they resemble a minicrab and have a second name - ploschitsy. Parasites live in the pubic area, in the armpits, on the chest, abdomen, in any part of the body (except the head), where there is a suitable hairline, even in the auricles, on the eyebrows and eyelashes, in the anus and genitals. Phthyriasis is a sexually transmitted disease, since it is mainly transmitted during sexual intercourse. In this regard, pubic pediculosis in adults is more often observed. Treatment at home involves the simultaneous treatment against lice of a sexual partner (wife, husband). You can also catch pubic lice with bedding and underwear, in pools, saunas and massage rooms.
Symptoms
- severe itching in places of bites;
- rash on the abdomen, in the groin, under the armpits, on the hips, sometimes on the face;
- blue spots in the places of a louse bite of the skin due to the reaction of hemoglobin with the saliva of the parasite (when pressed, they do not disappear);
- crusts, vesicles and papules on the skin;
- sometimes a secondary infection, dermatitis, eczema, pyoderma may begin from combs.
Phthyroidism Treatment
Treatment of pubic pediculosis at home begins with shaving hair (pubis, armpits, mustache, beard). Then any aerosol or gel with pyrethrin, pyrmetrin, melation (“Spray Paks”, “Pedilin”, “Medifoks”) is applied to the body. The product is left for 30 minutes, after which it is thoroughly washed off. The concentrates Medifoks and Avitsin are also suitable. When using them, it is necessary to dilute them with water, as indicated in the instructions.
At the same time, bed and underwear are boiled. After drying, iron it and seal for 3 days. Linen (only linen!) Can be treated with A-Pak spray, after which no washing is required.
When treating phthyriasis on eyelashes, eyebrows, and in the ears, mercury ointment is used. It is applied up to 4 times a day for 2 weeks.
Prevention of the disease consists in the rejection of dubious sexual partners and in the prohibition on the use of someone else's underwear and bedding.
Hanging lice
The disease is caused by body lice. In humans, they only feed, but live in folds of clothing and in pile, multiply there and lay eggs. The male body lice grows to a length of 4 mm, the female - 5 mm. Under acceptable conditions, parasites live up to 40 days. The female is capable of laying about 400 eggs during this time. You can catch body lice only with household contact (using the things of a person infected with them, bedding). The most likely places of infection are hotels, trains, hospitals where hygiene standards are not respected. Body lice can carry serious diseases: rash and relapsing fever, entrench fever. Therefore, the most dangerous is precisely the pediculosis. Treatment and prevention here directly depend on the cleanliness of linen, clothes and the human body.
Symptoms
- severe itching;
- rash on the body (abdomen, hips, back, neck, less often the chest and armpits);
- cyanotic spots in places of bites;
- development of furunculosis, folliculitis, pyoderma, eczema, hyper- and hypopigmentation is possible.
Treatment of clothes lice
In this disease, the main role is played by hygiene. Clothes, bedding, even soft toys (if any), a bed and preferably the whole house should be carefully crafted. The usual washing of things in the washing machine is not enough, since the nets of the head louse do not die. Treatment of pediculosis with folk remedies consists in boiling everything that can be boiled, followed by continuous drying in the sun (up to 3 days) and ironing, especially in the crease area. The body also needs to be thoroughly washed, and then wipe the skin with menthol (1%) or carbolic (4%) alcohol. If there are boils, papules, rash, you can use therapeutic ointments. It is good to use A-Par spray for processing clothes (but not the body!). Things in this case do not need to boil.
Another way is to handle things with cold. Given that lice die at -13 degrees, and nits at -20, in winter you can hang out the patient’s clothes in the cold. This method is useful when destroying lice on items not intended for heat treatment. On the street, things should be around a week, after which they are washed in the usual way.
Prevention is hygiene, regular body washing, washing and ironing.
Misconceptions about Lice
Persistent, comprehensive, and most importantly - reasonable is required for a disease such as pediculosis, treatment. Reviews often orient those who have not yet encountered a problem to frequent hygiene procedures.
Misconception 1: infection with head and pubic lice can be prevented by hygiene. Rather, the opposite: lice settle with pleasure on clean heads and bodies, since there it is easier for them to attach nits to their hair. Only body lice can be avoided by using perfectly clean, ironed linen.
Misconception 2: lice jump high. Their limbs are not capable of jumping, so it is impossible to get infected from a lousy person, being in transport, for example, if there is no bodily contact (touch).
Misconception 3: Lice are transmitted from animals. The structure of animal hair and human hair is different. Lice of cats and dogs are simply not able to use the hair of people, so they never go to them.
Misconception 4: you can get rid of lice, walking without a hat in the cold. Lice do die in the cold, but in a living person, body temperature never reaches critical levels for the parasite. Only cooling corpses leave lice.
Misconception 5: only the poor and poor have lice. These parasites do not care whom to live on. The difference is that the rich buy drugs for lice in pharmacies, the less wealthy - they often use folk methods, and the poor do not fight lice at all.