Head lice are tiny insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. An infestation of head lice, called pediculosis capitis, most often affects children and usually results from the direct transfer of lice from the hair of one person to the hair of another.
A head lice infestation isn't a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean living environment. Head lice don't carry bacterial or viral infectious diseases.
Over-the-counter and prescription medications are available to treat head lice. Following treatment instructions carefully is important for ridding your scalp and hair of lice and their eggs.
A number of home or natural remedies are used to treat head lice infestations, but there is little to no clinical evidence of their effectiveness.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
You may not be aware of a lice infestation. However, common signs and symptoms can include:
See your doctor before you begin treatment if you suspect that you or your child has a head lice infestation. Studies show that many children have been treated for head lice with over-the-counter medications or home remedies when they don't have an active head lice infestation.
Things often mistaken for nits include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
A head louse is a tan or grayish insect about the size of a strawberry seed. It feeds on human blood that it extracts from the scalp. The female louse produces a sticky substance that adheres each egg to a hair shaft. An egg is attached approximately 3/16 inch (4 millimeters) from the base of the shaft â an environment that provides an ideal temperature for incubating the egg.
A louse egg hatches after eight or nine days. What emerges is an immature form of the louse called a nymph. The nymph becomes a mature adult louse after nine to 12 days, and an adult lives for three to four weeks.
Head lice crawl, but they cannot jump or fly. Most often transmission of a head louse from one person to another is by direct contact. Therefore, transmission is most often within a family or among children who have close contact at school or play.
Indirect transmission is not likely, but lice may spread from one person to another by items such as:
Indirect transfer could also occur among items of clothing stored together. For example, hats or scarves hung on the same hook or stored in the same school locker could serve as vehicles for transmitting lice.
Household pets, such as dogs and cats, don't play a role in spreading head lice.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, the gold standard for diagnosing an active head lice infestation is the identification of a live nymph or adult louse.
These guidelines recommend an examination of wet hair lubricated with such products as a standard hair conditioner. Your doctor will carefully comb your child's hair with a fine-toothed comb (nit comb) from the scalp to the end of the hair. If no live louse is found, he or she will likely repeat the entire exam at a second appointment.
Your doctor will also look for nits in your child's hair. To find nits, he or she may use a specialized light called a Wood's light, which causes nits to appear bluish. But the identification of nits does not necessarily confirm the diagnosis of an active infestation.
A live nit needs to be near the scalp to incubate. Nits found more than about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) from the scalp are likely dead or empty. Suspect nits can be examined under a microscope to determine if they're living â evidence of a likely active infestation.
If no live nits are found, they're probably left from a previous infestation and not evidence of an active infestation.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
If your child scratches an itchy scalp from a head lice infestation, it is possible for the skin to break and develop an infection.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
It's difficult to prevent the spread of head lice among children in child care facilities and schools because there is so much close contact. And the chance of indirect transmission from personal items is slight.
However, it is generally a good practice for children to hang their garments on a separate hook from other children's garments and not to share combs, brushes, hats and scarves. A worry about head lice transmission is not considered a good reason to avoid sharing protective headgear for sports and bicycling when sharing is necessary.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
If you prefer not to use a medication for treating a head lice infestation, you may consider an alternative home treatment. There is little to no clinical evidence of the effectiveness of such treatments.
Combing wet hair with a fine-toothed nit comb may remove lice and some nits. Research is inconclusive on the effectiveness of this method.
The hair should be wet, and you should add something to lubricate the hair, such as a hair conditioner. Comb the entire head from scalp to end of the hair at least twice during a session. The process should be repeated every three to four days for several weeks â at least two weeks after no more lice are found.
Small clinical studies have suggested that some natural plant oils may have a toxic effect on lice and eggs. These products include:
These products are not required to meet safety, efficacy and manufacturing standards used for drugs approved by the FDA.
A number of household products are used to treat head lice infestations. The reasoning is that these products deprive the lice and incubating eggs of air. The product is applied to the hair, covered with a shower cap and left on overnight. Products used for this purpose include:
One laboratory study found that of these products, only petroleum jelly was effective in killing a significant number of lice. There is little clinical evidence of the effectiveness of such treatments, and it is unclear whether reported effects are the result of the product or of the multiple washing and combing required for removing the oily products from the hair.
Another option is a machine that uses one application of hot air in an attempt to kill head lice and their eggs through dehydration. The machine requires special training and is currently available only at professional lice treatment centers.
The machine uses air that is cooler than most hair dryers and at a much higher flow rate to kill the lice by drying them out. A regular hair dryer should not be used to accomplish this result as it's too hot and could burn the scalp.
Flammable products, such as kerosene or gasoline, should never be used to kill lice or to remove nits.
Lice usually don't live past one day without feeding from a scalp, and eggs do not survive if they aren't incubated at the temperature near the scalp. Therefore, the chance of lice surviving on household items is small.
As a precaution you may clean items that the affected person has used in the previous two days. Cleaning recommendations include the following:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Because head lice are spread primarily by head-to-head contact, the risk of transmission is greatest among younger people who play or go to school together. In the United States, cases of head lice most often occur in children in preschool through middle school.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
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