What does a louse look like?

In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.

Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.

Lice can be categorized into 3 separate types: clothing lice, pubic lice, and hair lice. The result of the presence of lice is usually a disease called head lice, however, lice can also lead to more serious diseases, such as typhoid disease. So how to recognize head lice? What does a louse look like? What is the treatment like?

What does a louse look like? This parasite on the head can measure from 2 to 3 millimeters. Lice are also accompanied by larvae called nits, which are white and brown in color and are about the same size as regular lice. Lice lay 6 to 8 eggs a day for about 20 days. Owing to the sticky substance, the eggs laid by the female adhere strongly to the hair and scalp. It takes 10 days for the lice to develop in an egg. It is after this time that an adult hatch. Other types of lice are pubic lice and clothing lice. What does pubic lice look like? Pubic lice are the smallest of all louse categories, and they mimic human skin in color. What does clothing lice look like? On the other hand, clothing lice is the largest type of lice and turns gray.

Where do lice occur?

You already know what a louse looks like, and what about their occurrence? Nowadays, the belief that lice is associated with dirt and a lack of personal hygiene has erupted in the public opinion. It is this belief that made lice and lice an extremely embarrassing and avoidable subject, which makes the awareness of the disease negligible, which definitely makes its treatment difficult. Lice and head lice can be found all over the world, in every climatic zone, on every continent and in every country. The risk of infection is exceptionally high in public places and other large centers of people. Lice are parasites and therefore need a host to survive. In this case, they are people and animals, because of the place of parasitization, lice are divided into 3 types: pubic louse, clothing louse and head louse.

Head lice symptoms

Of course, it is very important to know what a louse looks like, but it is equally important to know what symptoms appear when an infection occurs. The most burdensome and main symptom of head lice is extremely severe itching of the scalp. The itching can be so severe that an infected person will scratch the scalp to blood, while damaging and pulling out the hair, even causing it to become bald. Such a turn of events is common in children, who most often fall victim to head lice. The pruritus is a direct result of the activity of the parasite on the head, which, using its mouth organs, bites into the scalp, drawing blood and, at the same time, injecting a toxin that causes this feeling of severe itching. A sticky liquid may come out of the bite site, which is responsible for sticking the hair together, which in the event of non-compliance with hygiene and oily hair may lead to infection. Lice eggs, also known as nits, can appear in the hair on the head of an infected person. What does a louse look like and what does a nits look like? They are white, small, and stuck to the hair with a sticky substance. Due to their light color and small size, they are extremely difficult to see in fair hair. If you are not sure what the head lice looks like, be sure to see a specialist doctor.

To effectively get rid of lice, order Lice Out – a set for head lice – balm, shampoo + comb, which, when used according to the instructions, will help cure head lice.

Treatment of head lice

Knowing what a louse looks like, you should find out how the treatment is going. Treatment of head lice is not a difficult process. In most cases, it is sufficient to use an appropriate anti-head lice shampoo. This type of shampoo should contain silicone oil and dimethicone. These substances lead to suffocation of lice and destruction of eggs. Special, dense combs are used to comb hair parasites out of the hair. For example, try the Vitammy UFO Electronic Lice and Nit Comb. After the treatment is completed, it is necessary to disinfect all items that have come into contact with the hair or scalp of the infected, for example a hairbrush.

Leave a Reply