From what there are lice on your head - ways of infection, causes, treatment

Head lice are the most common species of parasites that feed on and live off the body of another being. In a particular case, they parasitize on the head of a person. The localization of insects in the scalp is explained by a thin epidermis, through which lice can feed on blood.

Description of parasites

Lice are representatives of insects, their size is from 0.4 to 6 mm. The parasitic way of life is due to the presence of a piercing-sucking mouthpiece. Piercing the human skin, lice give off saliva with a special composition, because of which itching and irritation of the skin can be felt at the bite site. Lice can not fly, far to jump or run. They are also unable to sleep under the skin.

Lice life is 40 days, provided food intake and comfortable temperature( not more than 44 ° C).Without a master, they can do only ten days, so lice try to find a food source as soon as possible. There are differences between lice, which are in humans and insects living on the skin of animals. Because of belonging to a particular species, head lice can exist only on the human skin.

Add to Wishlist! The causes of the appearance of pubic and ward lice are different from the reasons for which headaches occur.

To reproduce lice lay eggs - nits, which are located on the hair, firmly adhering to them. Nits are shells in which future lice are stored in the form of eggs. It is enough for a female to be on the owner's hair - and she immediately postpones the nits, which will be difficult to destroy.

Note! The period of appearance of new individuals from nits is about ten days. With a visual examination, you can determine which nits are empty and which ones are still ripe. The shells that have already left the larva are gray.

Symptoms of head lice

When head lice fall on a person, the most severe skin lesions are visible in the zone of the temples and on the back of the head. These areas of the head unbearably itch, which provokes their scratching to the blood. Zones affected by parasites can be run down, furuncles and pustules appear in them.

If the pediculosis is not treated, the skin on the head may become compacted, and pigmentation may also form on it. Visual inspection allows you to detect nits, attached to the hair at a level of 1 cm above the roots.

Note! The incubation period for parasite infestation is two to four weeks.

Causes of the appearance of lice

The main reason for the appearance of parasitic individuals on the head is transmission of them from an infected person. It is impossible to get infected by parasites in nature or through food, only through physical contact. The main ways of spreading lice:

• hugs and kisses;
• joint games;
• having sex;
• contact sport.

Methods of transmission of lice

Sometimes the spread of lice is provoked by other ways of transmission:

Risk factors for pediculosis	Description
Household	Use of common household accessories( combs, pillows, towels), clothes( especially hats)
Water	You should never bathe in the bathroom in which a lousy person bathed without changing water. Insects can stay in the water for a long time without the need for oxygen. Many cases were recorded when pediculosis developed after a joint bath in open water bodies
Non-compliance with hygiene	Rare hair and body washing, use of other people's personal items
Non-compliance with sanitary regulations	When visiting a beauty salon, pediculosis can be obtained if the master's clothing and tools were notproperly handled
Contact	Head lice can appear only if the infected person's head touches the head and hair of a healthy person. The most common lice are distributed in children's groups
Emergencies	Disasters are possible during natural disasters, migration, military operations

It is not uncommon for pediatricians or people on a resort to have pediculosis. Lice can be transmitted from one person to another in public transport, for example, by trains or trains. It is easy to catch a pediculosis through things that hung nearby in the wardrobe.

Pediculosis in children

Statistics show that in children lice are several times more likely than adults. Parasites are transmitted in joint games and classes, as well as in ordinary communication, which implies close contact. The reasons for which the children have increased lice infestation are several:

• non-observance of personal hygiene:
• inclination towards close close contacts;
• a large circle of communication with peers.

Note! Before going to a children's camp, do not forget to warn the child not to use other people's towels and clothes, do not take strangers hairbrushes and hairpins. Dangerous are also children's soft toys, on which nits could remain.

What conditions can trigger the spread of lice

In certain conditions, pediculosis spreads more actively. This is affected by the relevant conditions of a sanitary and social nature. The most strongly the appearance of lice on a person's head is promoted by:

• a low level of culture of society, an incorrect concept of individual hygiene;
• close contacts between people who communicate in the same social group, for example, among friends who are supposed to hug and kiss at a meeting;
• promiscuity with unsuccessful partners;
• long trips and travel in which there were difficulties with the observance of personal hygiene;
• is a congestion of people forced to stay in confined space for a long time( hospitals, refugee camps and prisons).In such circumstances, it is difficult not to contact a person infected with pediculosis.

multiply all over the world Head lice occur most often in the cold season, when people are forced to stay in the room most of the day and have close contact. In developed countries, there is an increase in cases of infection in the early autumn, when children go to gardens and schools and in early spring, when they begin to visit children's playgrounds more often.

How to get rid of lice?

Pediculosis is well treatable, so an infected person will not have difficulties in getting rid of parasites. This requires drugs that depress the life of insects. To comb out the dead lice and nits left in the hair, a scallop with frequent denticles is used.

The procedure for the destruction of parasites is done several times, carefully combing out dead insects after hair treatment. In any pharmacy you can find a lot of medicines from lice that can be purchased without a prescription. Since these preparations contain harmful substances, their use requires compliance with the instructions, and all precautions are taken.

In some cases, pediculosis treatment should be performed under the supervision of a physician:

• an infected person is a child younger than two years;
• allergy;
• asthma;
• nits are found on eyelashes or eyebrows.

It is important to know not only how to eliminate pediculosis, but also to prevent their occurrence. The house needs to carefully monitor the sanitary standards: regularly do wet cleaning, keep bed linens and towels clean, and also observe individual hygiene. In the conditions of society, close contacts with unsuccessful people and their belongings should be avoided.

Prevention of pediculosis

In addition to hygiene and cleaning the apartment as a preventive measure,

• is used to wash the head at least twice a week with a shampoo appropriate to the type of hair;
• regular change of underwear;
• combing hair;
• exclusion of communication with people who have pediculosis;
• no exchange of clothes.

Note! Do not think that the head of a louse will never run over to a washed head. On the contrary, these insects attract pure skin, because it is easier to pierce for the extraction of blood.

Compliance with the above rules significantly reduces the likelihood of infection with pediculosis. Timely detection of lice allows you to quickly disinfect with modern medications and prevent the parasite from spreading.

Video - What makes lice on your head?