Lice are insects that infest and feed off your body. Leaving a lice infestation untreated will only result in many other people becoming infested with lice. You also run the risk of infection if the itching is moderate to severe as you are scratching frequently.
What Are Lice?
Lice are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that live on humans and eat their blood. They move between your hair and plant eggs on your hair itself. Lice can be found on the head, body and in the pubic hair. They can grow up to three millimeters and can be white, dark brown or gray colored. They lay eggs, or nits, and attach them in a sack to your hair. The eggs resemble dandruff, but cannot be brushed away. Lice are much more common than we think, almost as common as the cold. There are three types of lice: head, body and pubic lice.
Head Lice
Head lice live on the head near the scalp. They can live on the scalp for weeks or months without you noticing. Once you start itching, scratching can make your head raw and prone to infection.
Pubic Lice
Pubic lice live in the pubic hair, and can also be found on the abdomen, and in facial hair, including the eye lashes and eyebrows. Pubic lice are also called crabs due to their crab-like appearance. They cause severe itching and can be transmitted sexually.
Body Lice
Body lice also cause serious itching, especially at night, when they are most active. Sores may appear, especially where clothing seams press on the skin. These lice are usually found not on the skin but on the clothing.
Treatment of Lice
Lice can be treated with an over the counter medication, usually in cream or spray form. Your doctor can prescribe a medication if your lice are resistant to over the counter products. A fine toothed comb should also be used to remove lice and eggs from the hair. Some feel the comb alone is enough to remove the lice, but this method must be used extremely carefully as lice can be very small and hide in the hair. Most over the counter or prescription medications come with harsh side affects. More and more people are turning to natural shampoos to deal with their lice infestation.
The Home
Be sure to clean your home of lice. It’s easy to remove lice from the body, and much harder to clear your home of them. Wash all bedding and towels in hot water, as well as clothing. Put items you cannot wash in airtight bags for four days. Be sure to vacuum all floors as well. Keep an eye out for lice. While they cannot live long off the body, if there are lice in the home it’s easy for others to be infested.
Licenex – Get rid of head lice and nits with no harmful chemicals.
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/head-lice/DS00953/DSECTION=1
http://children.webmd.com/tc/lice-topic-overview
