Lice can occur in any person, regardless of age. Children bring parasites from kindergarten, school, country camp. Adults become infected from children or from contact with a lousy person. But the presence of parasites on the head or on the body does not mean uncleanliness. How to understand that you have lice, if you have never met them, the article will tell.
What is lice
Pediculosis is an infectious lesion of the skin and hair with small insects, lice and their larvae. It is more common in homes where unsanitary conditions are present. Pediculosis also occurs where cleanliness is monitored. How to understand that a child has lice?
In crowded places, lice are well transmitted. One child with parasites in a team can infect an entire class. Not always parents report that the child has lice. They treat at home on their own and take them to the children's team. The child remains contagious for some time until all the larvae on the head are destroyed.
Girls with long hair find it harder to get rid of harmful insects. It takes a lot of time and patience to remove everyone. Not every parent agrees to this, and hair is cut.
Pediculosis is known worldwide. Lice live from the moment a person appears. Half of the world's population is represented by people who at least once in their life wore lice.
Animals are not carriers of lice. They have their own parasites that are harmless to humans. People tolerate human or pubic lice.
Signs of head lice
A person who has never met with head lice will not immediately suspect this disease. How to understand that you have lice? Symptoms are similar to other skin diseases, so you need to be correctly diagnosed.
The main signs of head lice:
- itching of the scalp;
- skin rashes from bites;
- pigmentation;
- the presence of nits;
- identification of adults;
- violation of the psychological state.
Itching and rashes can not cause suspicion, and the patient will change the shampoo, make a hair mask, but it will be dangerous for others. The most reliable sign of pediculosis is the identification of adult parasites or their larvae.
Itching occurs due to irritation of the scalp. Lice are sucked in and feed on blood. Leave traces of life. Insect saliva contains a protein that is foreign to the human body, so lice bites can provoke allergic reactions. Itching at first is not significant, but as lice spread on the head, it intensifies and becomes intolerable. A person combs his head to the blood, wounds appear that become infected, which leads to increased itching.
In those places where lice live on the body, rashes form. Appear due to skin irritation or allergy to insect saliva. Brown spots appear in those places where severe itching. This symptom is characteristic of body lice with a prolonged course of the disease.
Adult parasites or nits can not always be detected on their own. Nits no more than 1 mm, light color. They are attached to the hair and visible to the naked eye. Adult parasites are more difficult to detect, because they move around. It is not easy to remove nits from the hair, when you click on them, a crack is heard. During the removal of lice with drugs, parasites can go to the face and body, where they are easy to see.
Constant itching causes psychological discomfort. A person who finds lice in himself feels awkward. How to understand that you have lice yourself? When symptoms appear, use a special comb to comb your hair. Nits will remain on it.
Types of Lice
Parasites are found in three types:
How to understand that you have lice and what kind of lice they are? Their habitat is determined from their name, but this is not the only sign by which they differ. The clothes louse is found in linen. It can be infected only with constant contamination of the laundry. She lives in the folds of clothes, in the corners of her pockets. This louse is yellowish in color, its length does not exceed 5 mm. It’s easy to find. The parasite bites all over the body where there is no hair. The bites are painful and cause severe itching. In this case, the body becomes covered with white coating.
The head louse lives in the scalp. It is transmitted through a comb, hat, and nearby clothing. It is gray in color and leaves eggs - nits, which, having hatched, begin to bite the host.
Pubic louse practically does not move. A distinctive feature is the shell that covers the insect from above.
Parasite transmission methods
You can get lice only from person to person. How to understand that you have lice? Human lice do not live on other animals, but may temporarily be in water or objects.
The main methods of infection:
- Contact. With close contact with the infected, lice are easy to infect. Lice do not know how to jump or run fast, so transmission requires close contact between people.
- Through common subjects. Clothes that are nearby. Common comb, handkerchief. Pillow, blanket used by several people. Sometimes nits remain in the folds of bedding and, after ripening, creep onto a person.
- The genital tract. It is characteristic only for pubic lice. Close contact during intercourse allows lice to crawl onto another person.
- Infection through ponds, the beach. Lice can live in water for up to 2 days. It is possible to meet parasites in the water or pick them up on a sandy beach.
Mechanical lice removal
There are several ways to combat pediculosis. It is important to understand that lice appeared, and immediately begin to fight them. The most time-consuming way is to remove lice and nits with a scallop. This method is used to combat pediculosis in young girls. Pharmacy products are used from an older age, and alternative methods can even be dangerous.
Removing lice with a scallop takes more than one day. Adults comb out without problems, and nits can attach very tightly, and they can not be removed the first time.
You can completely shave off the hair on the head, but this method is not suitable for everyone. In the absence of hair, lice will have nowhere to live.
Pharmacy products
Pharmacy products allow you to quickly and safely get rid of parasites. How to understand that you have lice, and quickly get rid of them? Pharmacy products are effective in combating pediculosis. They include permethrin, which has a detrimental effect on lice and their eggs.
If benzyl benzoate is written in the composition, then the drug will destroy adults, but will not harm nits. Dimethicone in the composition envelops the parasites with a film from which they die.
Remedies for pediculosis are used 2 times. The first time adult lice and nits are destroyed. After 2 weeks, the product is used again to remove nits that survive the first time and become adult parasites.
It is better to use 2 different drugs or combined. The fact is that a remedy that does not kill parasites the first time can cause immunity in lice the next time.
After washing off the drug, you must use a comb to comb out nits and dead lice.
Folk ways
In those days when there were no special preparations for the destruction of harmful insects, improvised means were used: vinegar, kerosene, tar soap, hydrogen peroxide. These agents have side effects and should be used very carefully.
Kerosene and vinegar should not be used on children. Kerosene is fire hazard and causes intoxication of the body. Vinegar on tender baby skin can cause burns.
To use kerosene, it is necessary to dilute it with oil in a ratio of 1: 6, apply to hair, for 40 minutes and rinse. After this, the hair will be an unpleasant smell for several days.
How to deal with clothes
To understand that lice are worn in clothes is not very difficult. In order to withdraw them, you will have to make an effort. Pharmaceutical products to combat lice are made on the basis of ointments and gels. They must be applied to the body.
Linen, towels must be boiled thoroughly to destroy nits. Linen should be ironed with hot steam, paying particular attention to seams and creases.
Lice prophylaxis
For prevention, you must adhere to the rules:
- regularly inspect the head for parasites;
- use mixed methods for treatment;
- observe the rules of personal hygiene;
- do not give your comb, hat to strangers;
- daily change of linen;
- Avoid accidental sexual intercourse;
- use special complexes for the prevention of pediculosis.
How to understand that lice are bred? You cannot see this with the naked eye. If when combing out on the crest there is absolutely no nits left, then we can say that the struggle was successful. But you need to be sure that the comb went all over the head.