What are head lice in humans? They breed on the hair of the head. Adults exist due to the blood of the host. The skin on the head is thin, they pierce it with a proboscis and eat in this way. When piercing, a little special substance is secreted, which does not allow blood to clot. A person feels severe irritation in the bite zone, itching, as a result of which scratches appear on the skin. Where do lice live yet? They can be observed in other parts of the hairline, for example in intimate areas. There is a species called body lice that live in folds of clothing, but also feed on human blood.
Lice - insects are quite small. Adults from 0.4 to 6 millimeters. The shape is flattened. The belly is significantly larger than the head. The oral apparatus is designed as a cutting-sucking, which helps to parasitize. Lice live approximately 40 days. 10 days they can exist without, any food. However, it should not be cooler than + 10 ° C. At + 44 ° C, insects die. Lice have wings, but they are reduced in volume. This circumstance is determined by their transition to a parasitic form of existence. How can I get lice? From another person, at the hairdresser, through hygiene items - there are many ways.
Causes and ways of infection
The main source of head lice infection is a person who has lice. You can catch these parasitic insects like this:
- By contact, parasites pass from one person to another. This occurs at the moment of close contact, when people touch their hair.
- Can I get lice through my pillow? It is possible if there are lice on it that get there from the head of a person suffering from head lice. Infection can also occur through care items: combs, hairpins, towels, and also through hats. Unfortunately, these parasites persist for some time on objects that were used by a person infected with pediculosis. Therefore, the answer to the question whether it is possible to get lice at the hairdresser is positive. Where hygiene rules are not respected, after clients the tool is not washed, it is quite possible to catch lice.
- During intimacy, you can become infected with pubic lice.
- Can I get lice at sea? You can also become infected through water. If they find themselves in water, then they are ready to maintain their vital activity for two days. That is why there is a great risk of contracting pediculosis in a pond.
Most often, children suffer from head lice. This is due to the fact that every day they are in close contact with other children. They often pass on their personal hygiene items to each other, and can be changed with hats.
How can I get lice yet? Consider the most common myths.
There is a myth that says lice can be infected from animals. Yes, of course, animals have such parasites, but they belong to a different species. Pubic lice are found only on the human body.
There is also a legend that lice are able to jump from one person to another. This opinion is erroneous, because, due to the anatomical structure, these parasites can only move slowly. Their speed is 23 cm per minute. That is why lice pass from one person to another only with direct contact.
Do not think that you can get rid of parasites with the help of mechanical removal. Yes, combing out the nits and lice with a comb brings the result, but in this way it is not possible to completely get rid of parasites.
For this, it is necessary to use medical means, and after using the drug, comb out dead parasites and remaining nits.
As you can see, there are many places where you can get lice. These are children's preschool institutions, schools, pioneer camps, hairdressers, beauty salons, baths and pools (lice there can get over things in the locker room). How do they manifest themselves? Read on.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of head lice are presented below:
- First of all, itching appears, resulting from the fact that the parasite with its claws on the legs irritates the skin. This factor affects the nervous system - a signal arrives in the brain that there is an irritant on the surface of the head.
- A rash on the scalp during head lice in the place where the insect bites.
- Brown spots are formed. They appear in those places where there was an insect bite.
- You can see insect eggs on your hair. At a certain period of the life cycle, nits can fall out of the hair, they can be seen on clothes.
- Identification of the parasites themselves. The causative agent of lice is considered lice. They can be seen when examining the hairline.
- There is a violation of the psychological state. The itch that appears prevents the person from calmly performing ordinary activities, sleep disappears, fatigue and irritability increase.
At the first signs of pediculosis, it is necessary to conduct an examination and begin treatment.
How to treat pediculosis in children and adults
Measures to combat pediculosis with pediculosis include several methods:
- Drug treatment.
- Handling things, household items, bedding and the entire room.
- Personal hygiene.
- Periodic prevention of recurrence of the disease.
For children, the following are considered the best:
- "Nittifor" (can be used from 5 years). It is not absorbed into the blood, does not irritate the scalp. This is a very effective remedy for lice and nits, which is used not only for children, but also for adults.
- Foxilon lotion. It copes well with adult lice, but does not affect nits.
- Shampoo Pedilin. It acts very carefully on the skin of the child, but does not kill nits. Therefore, several treatments are required. It can be used for children from 2 years old.
Treatment
Sanitary processing is also widely used. This is especially true with lice. This procedure is best carried out in specialized institutions where the epidemiological sanitary service is monitored. But you can successfully get rid of lice at home. It is important to understand that the use of old folk remedies (vinegar, vodka) has an effect, but requires re-processing, since it kills mainly adult insects, but there are no nits. In addition, such funds can lead to complications and harm the skin. Dryness, burns, allergies appear. Also, alternative methods can lead to poisoning, which can provoke bronchial obstructive syndrome.
Drug treatment is very specific, it is selected individually. If a person has an allergy, it is dangerous to use medications in the fight against parasites. Basically, lice control agents include three insecticides: permitrin, sumitrin and malathion. Consider which drugs contain them.
Permethrin
This group includes Nittifor, Medifox, Knicks, Permethrin. These drugs are available in the form of cream shampoos, lotions and regular creams. The mechanism of action of these drugs is quite predictable, the drug acts on the nervous system of parasites, paralyzing them. The method of application of such funds is quite simple - with the help of a cotton swab, the drug is carefully applied to the hair roots and the entire length. Rubbed thoroughly and covered with a scarf for 40 minutes. Then the hair is washed well with shampoo.
Malathion
The drugs in this group include Pedilin. The tool has a combined effect: it acts on the nervous system of parasites, and also penetrates chitin and is stored in the body of the insect. The method of application is quite simple, since the drug is available in the form of an emulsion or shampoo. It is applied to wet hair, rubbed well into the scalp and left for 5 minutes. After that, thoroughly wash your hair with shampoo. To consolidate the effect, you must repeat the procedure after a week.
Sumitrin
This group includes drugs "Anti Bit", "Sumitrin." These agents act not only on the parasites themselves, but also on their nits. The product must be applied twice on the head and left for three minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
This procedure is repeated after 2 days.
Boric Ointment
It is also an effective remedy for lice and nits. It is necessary to apply ointment to the hair and head and leave for 20 minutes, then wash your hair with shampoo.
Doctors and researchers are constantly making new discoveries, developing new methods for treating pediculosis. Every year, whole complexes of synthetic materials and oils are created in order to prevent the spread of this trouble. Mineral oils are created, designed to act on nits and lice, disrupting their metabolism. But so far this technique is at the research stage.
Without fail, after conducting medical therapy in the fight against head lice, it is necessary to comb out the nits and dead parasites using a special comb with small cloves. The head must be divided conditionally into four sectors and carefully combed through each strand. It is best to carry out this procedure over white tissue in order to see those lice that could survive, and destroy them by mechanical action.
If pediculosis affects the pubic area, then the best way to combat this is to completely remove the hair.
Hellebore water
According to the instructions for the use of hellebore water from lice, this is an alcoholic tincture of hellebore diluted with water. It is available in bottles of 50 and 100 ml.
Reviews about this tool are different. It helped one the first time, others had to repeat the procedure. The instructions for the use of hellebore water from lice clearly state how to use this tool. It must be applied to the scalp and hair, tie a scarf and wait 20-30 minutes. Then comb out the dead lice with a comb, and wash the hair thoroughly. This tool is toxic, therefore it can not be used by pregnant, lactating and people under the age of 18 years. In no case should the product be allowed to fall on wounds (if any), in the eyes, in the mouth. In the latter case, hellebore water can cause poisoning. This tool does not affect nits, so after the first treatment, a second is required. The break between them should be 7 days.
Alcohol or vodka
This method of combating pediculosis is the most common. For the compress, you must take 96 percent alcohol and apply to the skin between the partings along the entire length of the hair. This technique is not gentle, as a burning sensation appears almost immediately. This tool greatly overdries the skin. It is absolutely unacceptable for children, pregnant and lactating. Vodka, whose strength is two times lower than alcohol, is a more gentle method, but the tool does not kill all lice, and does not affect nits at all.
Table vinegar
A solution of vinegar is considered even less dangerous in the fight against parasites. It is prepared quite simply: you need to dissolve 2 tablespoons of 9% vinegar in a cup of water. The liquid is applied around the entire perimeter of the head and along the entire length of the hair. Next, you need to tie a scarf and wait 30 minutes. After this time, comb out the lice and wash your hair. It should be noted that even diluted vinegar can negatively affect the scalp and hair follicles. Therefore, it is much better to use pharmacy drugs for pediculosis.
Kerosene treatment
Previously, this tool was a true salvation from lice. Until now, many have successfully used it. Kerosene is capable of killing sexually mature insects and nits. As a rule, a single treatment is sufficient. The disadvantages of the product are the same as all chemical fluids intended for technical purposes: it causes skin allergies, overdries the hair. After using kerosene, they become brittle, strongly split. The product can not be used for children.
To reduce the negative effect of kerosene on the hair and scalp, it can be diluted with vegetable oil and shampoo (1: 1: 1), but in this case the remedy will not work on nits.
Dichlorvos Treatment
This method is considered one of the most radical, since the poison contained in dichlorvos can kill any insects: flies, bugs, cockroaches, of course, and lice. However, it does not affect nits, which must be taken into account by those who are going to use dichlorvos to process their or someone else's head. A big drawback of the product is that it needs to be sprayed onto the hair, since dichlorvos is produced exclusively in aerosol cans. With this method of use, there is no guarantee that any part of the product will not enter the lungs of a person.
Folk methods of struggle without chemistry
The most harmless folk remedies for lice on the head are:
- Cranberry juice, which is rubbed into the scalp for 7 days.
- You can wash your hair for 10 days with a decoction of mint.
- A mixture of onions and garlic is an excellent method of combating pediculosis, but this remedy leaves burns on the skin.
- Dustova soap. This method has been used as long as kerosene. Dust soap is useful for prevention to wash things (hats, clothes, underwear). It helps to get rid of all types of lice. It is worth considering the fact that this tool is too toxic for the human body.
If you are not a supporter of various chemistry and medications, then the special comb "Antiv" can become the best way to combat pediculosis . It is designed so that its teeth remove nits from the hair and remove adult insects. This comb is useful for the prevention of head lice, combing the head once a week. It costs quite a lot - from 1400 rubles, but according to reviews of consumers and parents who brought lice from their children with it, this is almost an ideal tool.
Lice prophylaxis
An important role in the prevention of head lice is played by the identification of people with head lice (homeless, poor, families where alcoholism and unsanitary conditions flourish). Let's give some tips on how to avoid getting lice from a child and an adult.
In polyclinics, persons referred for inpatient treatment to organized children's groups are required to inspect. You also need to examine children from dysfunctional and large families in which there are no normal living conditions.
Each person must observe the rules of personal hygiene, including taking a shower or bath, washing items and bedding. After visiting public places where you can catch lice (hairdresser, pool, etc.), it is advisable to comb out with a thick scallop. Parents should also inspect their children who have returned from pioneer camps, resorts and similar places of rest.
If lice are found at any period of formation, disinsection events are performed simultaneously, exterminating the lice directly on the body, as well as underwear, clothing and other items. How to treat pediculosis in children, when it, unfortunately, appeared, we indicated above.
If pediculosis is detected in people living in comfortable apartments, the treatment is carried out by residents. The paramedic gives advice on the mutual examination of family members and the use of anti-pedicular substances.