No one is safe from this trouble. Lice are usually found completely unexpectedly. It is said that these insects more often settle on the hairline of a person who neglects hygiene rules or lives in adverse conditions. However, as it turns out in reality, lice can be "picked up" even during a trip in public transport, and you do not need to be untidy or sloppy. Let's see what lice are, the treatment for which should not only be effective, but also harmless to humans. In addition, we learn whether it is possible to cope with them at home.
If your head begins to scratch constantly , it’s worth a look to see if anyone alive has settled on your hair. Lice are parasitic insects that feed on blood. There are several types of lice parasitizing on the human body. Most often, people (especially children) have head lice. Treatment should be started as soon as possible, immediately after the detection of parasites. The fact is that the louse multiplies very quickly and grows even faster. It takes about three weeks for an adult bloodsucking parasite to grow from an egg. If a louse lives on a person’s skin, then its life span is a little over a month. If she did not find a master and habitat, then her life will last no more than a week.
Why is a louse dangerous?
Lice exist at the expense of man, his blood. With her proboscis, she pierces the skin and sucks blood. At the time of a bite, a person experiences severe itching, the head begins to itch. Lice bites are not dangerous, they cause only general discomfort. But if you crush a louse on your head, and fluid from her body gets into the wounds from scratching, you can talk about the serious danger of contracting typhoid. The disease manifests itself 3-4 days after infection. The danger is carried by the feces of lice. If they get on damaged skin areas, an allergic reaction may occur.
How to get rid of lice
In fact, getting rid of lice is quite difficult. The difficulty is the fact that you need to expel not only living insects, but also remove the nits, which are very firmly attached to the roots of the hair. It should be noted that there are several ways to remove lice. Treatment for these parasites can be performed both in the hospital of the infectious diseases hospital and at home.
Most often, lice are found in children. Treatment of small patients is prescribed very carefully, especially if the baby is allergic. Let's look at a few of its options.
Option one - a haircut "under zero"
Yes, in the last century, this was probably the only and most effective method of controlling lice - especially if parasites were found in a children's team. Everyone suffered. After all, they cut to zero not only infected with lice, but also everyone around. The most unpleasant thing is that any stranger could guess about the infection. If a girl does not have long braids and wears a scarf to cover her short haircut, it immediately becomes clear that this is a consequence of infection with lice.
Today, hair is cut with pediculosis only in extreme cases.
Option Two - Ointments and Shampoos
Today, in any pharmacy, you can not only buy an effective remedy for lice without problems, but also consult a pharmacist on all issues without shame and embarrassment: how to overcome lice, treatment - which is better to take, what could be the consequences of this or that remedy. There are ointments, shampoos, aerosols. They are applied to the hair and washed off after a specified period of time, and dead insects are combed out using a comb with thick teeth.
Option Three - People
In folk medicine, there are many methods that help overcome lice. This treatment, it should be noted, is not always safe. For example, it is recommended to treat the scalp with kerosene and walk around with such a fetid mask for several hours. Lice, of course, will not withstand such a procedure - but the person himself can seriously suffer. After treatment with kerosene, the hair recovers for a very long time, and burns and allergies can appear on the scalp.
Although the people have a safe method to overcome lice. Treatment is with cranberry juice. Fresh, freshly squeezed cranberry juice is used to lubricate the scalp, then cover it with cellophane and wrap it with a warm towel. However, this method will destroy only nits; cranberry juice will not work on adult lice.
Summarize. If you or your child has lice, you should not panic. But you need to treat immediately. Which method you choose is up to you. But remember the safety! Lice control should not be harmful to health.