How many lice live outside the head and why it is considered an obligate insect

how much louse lives outside of the head
How many lice live outside the head

Good day. Once upon a time, back in school, I helped my classmate fight lice.

She combed her hair, searched with her for effective remedies against this parasite. They even found out about the longevity of lice.

Together, all the information helped us to finally get rid of this problem. Let a lot of time be spent on obtaining the desired result. Want to know how much louse lives outside of a person’s head? Now I will tell all the details about this parasite.

Have you come for permanent residence, or how many head lice live outside a person’s head?

Lice are blood-sucking insects that parasitize mammals.

Important!
In total, there are about 300 varieties of lice, and each species is highly specialized, that is, living only on a specific host (dogs, pigs, marine mammals).

Head lice have been parasitizing their whole life on one host - a person.

Habitat

Three types of lice parasitize a person: clothes, head and pubic. Each of these species lives on the human body in its strictly established place. The statement that lice live only on the head is fundamentally wrong. Let's see where lice live except for the head.

Head lice live exclusively on the head, body lice hide in the folds of clothes, and pubic are the exception, because they can live on almost all parts of the body covered with hair, but since they are transmitted mainly through sexual contact, they are mainly localized on the external genitalia, lower abdomen, in the inguinal region.

And with combs, pubic lice can spread to the chest, eyelashes, beard, mustache, eyebrows, axillaries, and in young children to the scalp.

Head lice live on the scalp, and are more common in women and children. They affect mainly the occipital part, neck and the area behind the ears.

Do lice live in dyed hair and how long do they occur more often? As for the type of hair, this type of insect can dwell in any hair short, long, straight and curly, as well as dyed. The main thing for parasites is to have access to the scalp in order to feed on human blood.

There is an opinion that if you dye your hair, then you can get rid of lice. In fact, all ammonia paints are diluted with hydrogen peroxide, and it, in turn, has a destructive effect on parasites.

Advice!
However, in order to use this method to remove insects, you will need to use it several times with small intervals in time, which will have a detrimental effect on the hair.

It will be much safer to purchase specialized shampoos and lotions against pediculosis at the pharmacy, for example, “Para plus”, “Nok”, “Nittifor” and others.

Life cycle

The lice development cycle consists of the stage of the egg (nits), the larva and the adult (imago). An adult female lays an average of 10 eggs per day.

From the stage of the egg to the complete transformation of the insect into an adult (incubation period), it takes about 3-4 weeks, but not less than 15 days. The number of parasites increases exponentially.

Life cycle
Life cycle

The life cycle of lice is as follows:

  1. Egg or nits - a yellowish grain of sand, tightly attached to the hair shaft. She does not feed on blood and is motionless in one place. How many nits live? At this stage, parasites are from 4 to 6 days.
  2. Larva - looks like an adult, but has a small size. After 30 minutes, she begins to feed on blood. The larva molts three times, and the first time occurs, literally, a day after hatching. And only after triple molting does it turn into a mature individual. In the larval stage, the louse can be from 2 to 4 weeks.
  3. A mature individual is an insect of transparent yellow color, up to 5 mm in size, capable of breeding. Females have a longer life span - 38 days, unlike males, in which it is 27 days.

Thus, the full life cycle of head lice is from 45 days to 2 months.

Now let's move on to the next question: how long do lice live outside the head?

How many lice live outside the host?

Lice survive only at the expense of their host, on which they parasitize. Can and how much lice live outside of humans? Each insect species can live only on a specific mammal.

A human head louse will never parasitize on horses. Just like those insects that live on animals will never pass to humans.

The opinion that lice are transmitted from domestic animals is fundamentally erroneous. Blood-sucking insects often feed in small portions, with females biting more often than males, but how many lice can live without humans?

A head louse deprived of nutrition in the environment can exist without a person for about 2 days, more precisely, for about 55 hours - that’s the whole period how long lice live without a person.

Transmission ways

The main and most common way of transmitting lice is through contact, from person to person. This can happen with hugs, kisses, and other close contacts.

Parasites can also be transmitted through personal care products, combs, hairpins, hair bands and hats.

Attention!
Possible, but less common, the path of infection with lice through bedding and pillows. More often, infection occurs with joint sleep. Very rarely, but lice infection during bathing in stagnant water is not excluded if people with head lice swim nearby.

Most often, pediculosis infection occurs in the summer, in crowded places - in children's camps, kindergartens, etc.

Not a single person is insured against infection with head lice. Of course, systematic hygiene procedures are the main methods of prevention, but they do not rule out the possibility of infection.

And the process of breeding lice from the moment they hit the head is carried out continuously, individuals increase exponentially. If no measures are taken to eliminate parasites, then they will dwell on the scalp indefinitely.

How many lice live outside a person?

How many lice live outside the head? A louse is a parasite on the body of a person or animal. She is not able to live outside the body. Lice usually parasitize on the human hairline. Lice can live on the body of monkeys of certain species.

However, there they feel less comfortable. In addition to monkeys, lice can only be found in humans. Outside the head, these parasites will live exactly as long as they can do without food. After all, they can only eat blood. The cause of their death will be hunger.

Life cycle

If we talk about lice and the features of their life cycle, then you should pay attention to their structure. Parasites are adapted exclusively to life on the human body. The evolution process has affected the modification of the legs.The size of the joints allows you to firmly attach to the hairs. The parasite has an optimal body shape for living on a specific part of the body.

So, a clothes louse lives on clothes. She crawls onto a person to suck blood. She has a characteristic feature that distinguishes this variety from all other species. The paws are arranged differently, which makes lice easy to hold on to any textile products.

Pubic insects can live on the pubis or in the armpits. There are times when parasites breed in the beard of men and eyelashes. Adults like long hair.

The fight against parasites will be more effective if you know about their livelihoods, development and reproduction. You should not think that being outside the head, the louse will quickly die, since it will have nothing to eat. If you want to know exactly how many parasites live, then the answer will be mixed.

It is believed that the insect can live, falling off the human body, for about 2 days. If during this time he fails to find a new source of nutrition, the parasite dies. Pubic louse lives less, it dies after 12 or 15 hours. In the event that the temperature of parasites decreases, they can hibernate.

Important!
Adult individuals calmly survive without feed for 10 or even 12 days. After that, they also die. If we consider how much live lice live without a food source, then this period lasts longer for them than for head lice, for 3 or 4 days. If a person puts on a piece of clothing once a week, then it is difficult to find parasites in it.

Lice constantly lay eggs to increase the number of individuals in their colony. Only in this way can they survive. The number of colonies continues to increase even when parasites are poisoned with anti-pediculosis drugs. Getting rid of lice can be quite problematic. After all, if this parasite settles in the family, it will cause a lot of trouble for all people.

Developmental stages

All varieties of parasites are perfectly adapted to the places where they live. They have their own way to multiply on the human body. The female lays an egg on her hair, which is also called nits. The formed larva immediately enters the skin of the scalp of a human head. She immediately begins to suck blood.

The life cycle of each species has its own differences. The development of lice on the human body is fast. For active life, parasites require a lot of energy. Head lice per day feed 3 or 4 times, and pubic lice every 3-4 hours.

Nits develop from 7 to 10 days. Eggs of lice can develop up to 2 months, provided that the nits develop at room temperature. At low temperatures, development may take up to a year.

When the temperature drops to -1 ° C or lower, nits can survive only one week. As for the development of the nymph, or larva, the process also proceeds faster - under favorable conditions in 15-20 days. Adult lice live for 40-46 days. The life expectancy of insects living on clothing is about 40 days.

The above data are disappointing. A whole population will live on the scalp in 1.5-2 months after infection. After 3 months, the parasites will begin to cause inconvenience to their host. In a person, pronounced signs of pediculosis can be observed.

Despite the fact that the life of lice is fleeting, it manages to go through several stages. An insect has only 3 molt. They begin every time a chitinous “clothing” for a nymph becomes small. When the third molt ends, the nymph becomes an adult insect. The female can lay 2 to 4 eggs per day. Over its short life, lice have time to lay 140 eggs.

Advice!
Despite the fact that the head and head lice have a different structure, their individuals, placed in a limited space, begin to interbreed. After several generations, the differences disappear.

When a larva hatches from an egg, an insect can pierce the lid of the nits with its jaws, but is not able to get out of it on its own. The larva begins to breathe actively. In this case, air passes through the digestive system of the insect and exits through the anus.

When air accumulates at the bottom of the nits in large quantities, it pushes a larva out of the cap, which enters the skin of the hair and begins to suck blood.

How to get rid of a parasite?

Knowing that head lice have not lived for so long, you need to find an effective way to get rid of them. These harmless creatures, among other things, are carriers of such dangerous diseases as typhoid.

There are 2 ways to combat parasites. You can get rid of insects on your own or in the receiver, which is controlled by the sanitary and epidemiological station. The second option is not preferred. There are a lot of homeless people in the receiver, which in themselves can become carriers of dangerous diseases.

You can learn about pediculosis by characteristic signs. A person is tormented by itching. Bluish marks appear on his skin. A person's health and mood worsen, sleep is disturbed. If during the inspection uninvited guests were found, you must go to the pharmacy. Tell us about the problem, and the pharmacist will advise you on the best remedy.

Use the drug as recommended. Prepare a comb with frequent teeth. It will help remove adults and nits. The main condition for the complete elimination of parasites is the repetition of the treatment of the affected area after 5-7 days to fix the result.

It is necessary to do this, because lice live without a person for several days, and if suddenly the departed individual “decides” to return, preventive measures will be necessary.

Attention!
The life cycle of insects averages 1 month. A full course of treatment should have the same duration. Apply parasite remover correctly. If you hold it longer than expected, you can get a thermal burn. Parasite repellents are considered ineffective and dangerous.

Lice have nowhere to run: they feed on blood. If you took the drug, and it does not have any effect on this kind of lice, you should not use it several times in a row.

Sometimes you can apply a radical way - shaving bald. More often combing is used. The method works great in combination with the use of drugs. Special combs quickly free hair from nits and lice. They are not difficult to use. Treat your head with the product.

Carefully comb each strand of hair. Parasites will be stuck in the teeth of the crest. The combing procedure must be performed within a month. The mechanical method of getting rid of parasites has no contraindications. It is suitable for everyone.

Combing is useful: scalp massage has a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair. True, the mechanical method is quite laborious. If there is no relevant experience, the procedure is best done every day.

Can lice survive without hair?

How long lice live without humans and whether our ancestors knew how to survive without hair. After all, the method of shaving on the bald is still practiced, which guarantees the death of nits. Therefore, if you need a quick 100% effect and the size of the hair is not critical - you can resort.

Lice are an obligate and extremely highly specialized insect. How long does a human louse (Pdeiculushumanus) live without hair on its head and its pubic sister (Pthiruspubis), entomologists give a definite answer. They absolutely cannot adapt to other habitats except the human body.

There are exceptions when these parasites adapted to life on some species of primates.But it was noticed that on the hairline of monkeys they are extremely uncomfortable, moreover, it is difficult to reproduce.

Lice live without a person outside the head, if the total life cycle is no more than two months. The whole process from the egg to the imago (full-fledged adult) is no more than two weeks under favorable conditions. If the temperature regime does not correspond to the norm, the development process may drag on for up to a month.

Stages of development

One laying of an adult female is about 3-5 eggs, which she glues securely with human hairs. These are nits that resemble dandruff in appearance and are rather difficult to remove from hair. The stage of development of nits lasts an average of one week.

Important!
Lice live without a person if this parasite feeds exclusively on human blood. A larva is formed from the egg, which is immediately attached to the skin for eating.

After the first blood replenishment, the first molt occurs, then the larva degenerates into a nymph. After three molts, a chitinous cover forms and the insect becomes an adult, capable of laying up to 150 eggs during its life, which indicates excessive fecundity of lice.

Lice cannot live without hair and without a host. It is worth considering that human lice have subspecies, distinguish three types of head lice:

  1. head;
  2. pubic;
  3. wardrobe.

Each species has its own habitat on the human body and its own means of combating parasites. Rarely what nits live without a man, because for them it is like breathing without air. Nit is a non-self-contained parasite, and the initial stage of development. They are in a hard shell, where they can remain for several years before cutting hair.

Head lice are considered the most common, especially they affect young children. You can get lice with close contact, in common areas, in the pool, bath, pond, through personal hygiene products: combs, towels, etc.

A few interesting facts about the life of lice:

  • Lice live without a person and without blood, but very few. Lice are adapted to live only on humans. The entire structure of their body and arthropod paws is designed to cling to human hair. Without man they perish from hunger;
  • Pubic and head parasites live only in the hair, since they are not able to lay eggs and fully reproduce on linen;
  • Lice can live without a person and without food. Lice, and even more so nits, are wingless insects that cannot fly, jump, or move long distances. They cling tenaciously to the hair, thus moving through them and live in them;
  • If the insect enters a humid environment, then the life span can be doubled. It is for this reason that it is recommended to swim only in purified reservoirs;
  • Lice do not appear as a consequence of the disease, exclusively by mechanical means in contact with an infected carrier.
  • Lice live for several days without food in case they have lost their usual habitat - human hair and body.

Hunger for lice is the most critical issue for their survival. Under normal conditions, the parasite can withstand an average of 2-3 days without feeding human blood. If the temperature is lowered to 10 degrees, lice can withstand up to 10 days without food.

Advice!
Pubic lice are considered less hardy, at a temperature of about 30 degrees they can withstand a maximum of 9 hours without blood, but in a humid environment they can last up to two days. Pubic lice should be fed every 3-4 hours.

How long does a head louse live without a person? Write a head louse in 4 tricks, if it accidentally crawled over, fell on a pillow or was combed out, then it can survive no more than two days without its human breadwinner.

Body lice are adapted to settle and live on clothes, crawling onto the human body when dressing. They settle in the folds of clothes, duvet covers, etc. They crawl onto the body only for eating.While maintaining personal hygiene and changing clothes frequently, this subspecies dies out quickly enough.

Does a body louse live without a person? Imagoes live for about 1.5 months, being without a host can live no more than 3-4 days. Despite the fact that the population lives on clothing, they can only eat human blood.

Head and pubic parasites are easily destroyed by chemical preparations or special shampoos based on insecticides.

Linen lice without a person, too, can not live long. Many are interested in what is the difference between clothes and linen lice. This is one and the same subspecies. The opinion that lice lice can settle their population in bedding is wrong. Ectoparasites are used to hiding in secluded places, and not in open space. Accordingly, the survival time without a host is no more than 3-4 days.

In nature, there are cat, dog and other subspecies of lice. But they are not dangerous for people and do not take root in humans. Each subspecies lives exclusively on its breadwinner and feeds only on its blood.

Parasite Control Methods

Knowing how many days lice live without a person, we can assume that there are various ways to deal with them:

  • the difference in high and low temperature conditions;
  • chemical treatment with insecticides or folk recipes;
  • mechanical method;
  • by fasting;
  • with pungent odors.

What methods are considered the most effective. It is known that lice feel comfortable at a temperature of about 30 degrees. Ectoparasites do not tolerate cold, at zero degrees they fall into suspended animation, with a minus perish. But even if you go outside without a hat, there is no guarantee that all parasites will be destroyed.

Attention!
Hot temperatures lice carry a little better, can withstand up to 45-60 degrees, but the hot air from the hair dryer also does not fully guarantee the destruction of parasites. This option is great for clothes lice, if you wash clothes at a temperature of more than 70 degrees.

If you use specialized remedies, then a louse without food in this case will not live a day, as this is a wild stress for her. The most common and fastest way is the use of shampoos. The most popular manufacturers: Pedilin, Parasidosis, Paranit, Itax, etc.

Sprays are convenient and popular, but are considered less reliable due to the fact that some parts of the head may not be affected. The most famous: Nyuda, Pediculen Ultra. Emulsions are quite effective, but require caution when using.

If you use folk remedies, the effect on nits will be approximately the same as above. There is the simplest but most painstaking way:

Combing method

You will need: a comb with frequent teeth. Your actions: To lay out hair in thin locks and comb out each lock carefully. Pay attention to the presence of nits that must be removed.

With tar soap. The method of application is extremely simple: foam the soap, apply foam on the skin and hair, hold for 10 minutes and rinse. One of the most effective means.

With vinegar. Dilute the usual 9% or apple cider vinegar with water in a ratio of 1: 2. Treat the composition of the skin and hair. Vinegar destructively affects the shells of lice, which die from this.

With ether. The use of essential oils is considered very effective. In a regular vegetable oil, add some essential oil such as tea tree, lavender, cypress, eucalyptus, menthol, rosemary or geranium.

Treat the entire head with a plentiful amount, wrap it with polyethylene, hold for 2 hours, comb out the dead insects well. Wash your hair in the usual way.

Important!
With tansy and wormwood. A decoction of these herbs perfectly repels any insects, including lice. Parasites do not tolerate saturated and bright odors, so they quickly leave the host. It remains to look at the head to remove all the nits.

Tansy and wormwood to take in equal proportions at the rate of 1 tbsp.in a glass of boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, strain and cool. Treat this compound with your head.

For complete destruction, it is recommended to carry out the processing procedure repeatedly. It is good to make a complete complex treatment of the apartment with wet cleaning and surface treatment with an insecticidal agent.

Knowing how many lice live without food, it is useful to leave the apartment for 2-3 days. Parasites outside a person do not live for a long time, having lost their usual habitat, lice die.

User reviews

Alina Kayun: “I sent my son to the summer camp, the reviews are excellent. He returned pleased, but I noticed that he was constantly scratching his head. As she looked, she was simply horrified. He refused to shave his head, they decided to treat with special means. Only after some time were all the households scratched. I had to process the whole apartment and go to the country. Only in this way were saved. ”

Irina Kopteva: “This is not the first time my daughter has brought lice from kindergarten. We are tormented, but what if the source is in the group. NitFree helps a lot, first oiling, and then combing with mousse. The tool is fantastic. Everything is fast, reliable and safe! ”

Ekaterina Maruseva: “We could not get rid of it for a very long time. They tried everything: shampoos, sprays, folk remedies and nothing. It turned out that there is a special center that deals with the problems of parasites. They came with their money, treated us and the apartment. True, I had to leave for several days, so that lice die without food. They returned, they all vacuumed. Fortunately, there is nothing more. "

How long do lice live?

Louse - a small wingless insect, 2-4 mm long, has three pairs of legs, and the color varies from white to grayish in color. The head louse moves quite quickly - 23 cm / min., Which makes it difficult to detect.

Advice!
The female parasite during its life lays 150-300 eggs (nits), also yellow-white in color and small in size (only 1.5 mm), completely invisible among the hairline. Nits are tightly attached to the hairs, approximately 0.7 cm above the surface of the head.

In advanced cases, adult lice, their eggs are found on the eyelashes, eyebrows, and men on the beard. Due to the fact that the hair of the beard, eyelashes are short, lice do not feel very comfortable in these places, preferring to dwell on the hair of the head.

They feed exclusively on human blood, leading a parasitic lifestyle in human hair. A characteristic itch, a sign of pediculosis (which is also characteristic of another invasive disease - scabies), manifests itself 14-30 days after infection.

Itchy discomfort arises from the fact that piercing the skin with a proboscis, the insect secretes saliva, which irritates the scalp.

To date, there are three types of lice that live on humans:

  • Headache.
  • Wardrobe (underwear).
  • Pubic.

All species and subspecies of lice are perfectly adapted to the characteristics of the habitat. The shape, size of the segments on the legs of insects, with which they capture hairs, body size, contour of the abdomen, have parameters that are most suitable for their parasitic life on humans.

The louse stomach is favorable for the development of certain microorganisms, including the causative agent of relapsing and rash typhus, which stands out together with the waste products of the insect, or at the time of crushing it.

Infection is also possible if typhus occurs on mucous membranes after accidentally rubbing it into the skin.

Features of the life of the parasite

The structural features of the body of insects indicates absolute inability to live outside of humans. The shape of the legs of lice excludes any action other than how to cling tightly to the hair, and the oral apparatus can only suck blood.

Head louse is transmitted to humans in such situations:

  1. Direct contact with a pediculosis carrier.
  2. Use of general hygiene items (hats, bedding, towels, comb).
  3. The insect easily moves from the owner’s long hair to another person.

The opinion that lice are only with asocial personalities is not true. Almost all people are at risk of infection.

The most common places where pediculosis is most often transmitted:

  • Kindergartens.
  • Schools.
  • Saunas.
  • Pools.
  • Summer holiday camps.
  • Hotels
  • Hairdressing salons.

Lice, parasitic on the head of people, are not adapted to the living conditions on the body of the animal, can not do without their source of nutrition - humans, like the scabies mite. Unable to tolerate prolonged starvation, the louse has a high ability to parasitize on the body of people. Other types of ectoparasites do not possess this property.

Attention!
The proposition that insects feed on hair is completely wrong. Such an erroneous point of view is explained by the fact that lice are often found firmly seated on a hairline. In this way, insects try not to fall off their owner’s head when moving, washing their hair or combing.

However, when there is a feeling of hunger, lice descend onto the skin, pierce it with their sharp stilettos and suck blood. So, how long does louse live outside the human head?

How many lice live on a person and without him

How many lice live in a person’s head? The life span of the parasite is relatively small. If the louse did not fall from the head, was not poisoned with a special drug, shampoo, then the adult lives about 40-46 days, while the development of nits is 15-20 days. The total life cycle duration is 2 months, in pubic lice - 1.5 months.

Lice are parasitic (obligate) creatures that necessarily need a host - a person. How long do lice live without humans? Insects are not at all adapted to independent existence outside the human or animal body, unlike other parasites, for example, aspergillus fungus.

In some cases, the presence of lice in the hairline of monkeys was observed, while the full development of parasites was not observed. This indicates that the body of the monkeys is not quite suitable for the comfortable existence of lice.

To the question, how many lice live without a person, there is only one answer - as long as they can live without food. This is where an interesting fact pops up. It turns out that lice are extremely tender creatures that need a regular presence of food.

Unlike a bed bug, which can do without a power source for several months, a hungry louse lives no more than 48 hours, but if the ambient temperature is in the range of 10-12 degrees Celsius, it will last longer - about 10 days without food.

Lice are insects, which are characterized by a constant feeling of hunger, that is, they continuously feed on their whole life:

  • Head lice - eat 4 times / day.
  • Pubic - every 3-4 hours.

In relation to pubic lice, this type of parasite is even more weak. The limit time that a body insect can live without food is 8–9 hours at a temperature of 28–30 degrees. If in the near future there is no power source, the louse will simply die from hunger.

Important!
Lice, especially pubic lice, being in the water, are not so acutely affected by hunger, the survival period increases to two days. Therefore, cases of transmission of parasites from person to person in places of mass bathing are so frequent.

As you can see, it is completely clear that without a person, in extreme cases, without another living warm-blooded organism, lice are not able to live for a long time.

With regard to eggs, this is a completely different situation, each nit is enclosed in a dense shell in which its development is carried out. Separated from a person persist for a long time, for several days.

Do parasites live on dyed hair

Many patients, especially women, are interested in whether lice live on dyed hair? It should be said, these parasitic insects no matter what color the hair of the owner.The most important source of nutrition for them is the presence of skin, blood vessels. People with dyed hair are also not immune to parasite infections.

After dyeing, the hair acquires an uneven structure, the color of which depends on the coloring pigment located between the hair scales and directly in them. Pigments are not toxic, which means that there is no danger to the life of lice and their eggs.

The situation is completely different when hair coloring is used to get rid of lice. This method gives good results and is often used in practice.

Many modern hair dyes contain ammonia, peroxide (hydrogen hydroxide), and other active chemicals.

Ammonia is a fairly aggressive and caustic chemical, has a strong negative effect on adult insects and its eggs. It opens the scales of the cuticles of each hair, thereby contributing to the maximum penetration of dyes. A similar destructive effect is exerted on the protective shell of insects.

To remove lice, it is necessary to use only persistent, chemical-based varieties of paints, natural dyes are completely unsuitable for this problem. Hydrogen peroxide also negatively affects the chitinous membrane of lice and nits, which leads to their death.

Advice!
The staining procedure, in order to get rid of parasites, is carried out in the same way as with conventional hair coloring. It is necessary to carefully study the annotation for the paint, be sure to adhere to its recommendations.

If the number of parasites and their eggs is large enough, and there are injuries from lice bites on the skin, hair coloring cannot be done because of the risk of developing allergic manifestations, and even chemical burns of soft tissues.

To get rid of lice (pediculosis), the modern pharmacy network offers a wide selection of special drugs, and alternative methods for controlling these insects are also successfully used. Having discovered an invasion of parasitic living creatures, do not panic very much. Timely treatment and a number of preventive measures will help to successfully get rid of head lice.

Head lice: myths and reality

One of the problems for children and their parents is pediculosis. Not the worst, of course, but extremely unpleasant.

Head lice belong to the class of insects, a subtype of tracheal. They reach a length of only 2.5-3 mm. The development of lice consists of several stages. On the first - insects lay eggs called nits. Usually they have a white-brownish color, a symmetrical shape, and no larger than a grain of sand.

Like pearls on a string of beads, they are so firmly glued to the hair at the roots that it is extremely difficult to remove them from there. They are often confused with dandruff, although nits and dandruff can be distinguished by their shape and color: dandruff is always white and, unlike nits, it is easy to shake off with your hands.

Lice hatched from an egg are called larvae. They have not yet developed reproductive function. "Growing" of lice occurs within 9-12 days. Mature lice are usually brownish in color. The female lives about 30 days and during this time manages to lay from 150 to 300 eggs.

Head lice live in the hair on a person’s head, eating only human blood. Like mosquitoes, they pierce the scalp and suck blood using a special proboscis. Therefore, lice “feel” especially well in areas of the head where the skin is thinner and more tender: behind the ears, on the temples and in the back of the head.

Attention!
In places of lice bites, severe itching occurs on the scalp, which, as a result of scratching, can lead to inflammation.

Itching occurs in response to irritation with a secret that prevents blood clotting, which lice secrete at the site of the bite, which allows them to suck blood for 5-30 minutes. Itching is the most common symptom of head lice, according to which in most cases the presence of lice is determined.

Pediculosis is an infection (infection) of a person with lice.The causative agent of head lice is a head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) - a parasite that lives on the scalp and feeds on blood.

Other important signs of head lice:

  1. whitish nits at the roots of the hair, most often behind the ears and around the neck;
  2. empty cocoons attached to the hair at some distance from the root;
  3. adult parasites on the scalp;
  4. a rash on the back of the neck caused by the waste products of lice.

Lice move quickly enough, overcoming up to 23 cm / min, so infection occurs quite easily. In addition, a louse can live on objects for up to two days and does not die in water. Contrary to popular belief, lice do not jump or fly.

The change of owner occurs with direct head-to-head contact, much less often through personal items.

Lice have been known to humans since ancient times. The first reports of them are found in Aristotle (IV century. BC). Dried lice were found in ancient burials of man: in Egyptian, Peruvian and Native American mummies.

Lice were also found on mummified corpses of people in Greenland and the Aleutian Islands (XV century). It is not surprising that over the millennia of their existence, a lot of myths were born about them. Consider the most common.

Myth One

Pediculosis affects only people who do not follow the rules of hygiene. Not true! It is proved that lice prefer healthy and clean, rather than dirty hair. Therefore, no one is safe from head lice, regardless of financial position and compliance with hygiene rules.

Second myth

Head lice are carriers of disease. Not true! In our latitudes, head lice are not carriers of disease. Of course, they are extremely unpleasant, but not dangerous to humans. However, sometimes their excrement or saliva can cause an allergic reaction, and through places of bites and scratches an infection can enter the body.

Myth three

Head lice can be infected by pets. Not true! Head lice live only in human hair and are not transmitted to humans from pets. The only source of nutrition for head lice is human blood.

There are lice that infect cats and dogs, as well as many other subspecies of lice, but they are not contagious to humans. Therefore, there is no reason to treat pets if someone in the family has contracted pediculosis.

Myth Four

Head lice can be infected through hats, combs, bedding, etc. True, but extremely rare! Only on the scalp does a louse have ideal conditions for existence - a suitable temperature and nutrition. Outside of this ideal environment, she can only survive a couple of days.

Important!
In recent years, pediculosis is manifested by periodic epidemic outbreaks. The reasons for the outbreaks, scientists consider climate mitigation, frequent reinfection associated with the lack of simultaneous collective treatment, both at school and at home; insufficient parental awareness of pediculosis and improper use of means to combat it.

To date, there are a variety of means to combat pediculosis. But since the 80s. XX century as a result of mutations in lice, resistance to pyrethrin, one of the widely used insecticides in pediculosis, increases.

A guide to the diagnosis and treatment of pediculosis (2002), published by The American Academy of Pediatrics (2002), emphasizes that it was the abuse of pyrethroid insecticides (pyrethrin and permethrin) that led to the development of resistance to them.

Therefore, to combat lice, it is advisable to use new means with a physical principle of action. They guarantee high efficiency after the first use and are safe for children.

Expert opinion

Ilya BLEZDOV, dermatovenerologist: Pediculosis is a fairly common disease.In the United States, for example, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) annually register 6–12 million cases of head lice.

For many years, special chemicals containing insecticides (malathion, phenotrin, permethrin) were used to treat pediculosis. As a rule, they had to be applied twice, taking a week break between applications.

Reuse is due to the fact that insecticides act on the nervous system of lice, and the formation of the nervous system occurs on the third day of egg development.

By the way, this is why neurotoxic insecticides are ineffective against nits (the nervous system has not yet formed), and the larvae emerging from surviving eggs become resistant to the repeated action of permethrin, malathion, and phenotrin.

Currently used insecticides have a number of disadvantages:

  • high price;
  • some drugs can not be used more than three times;
  • between applications, a relapse of the disease may occur, therefore, daily combing of nits from the hair of the child is necessary;
  • restriction of use in children up to a year, pregnant and lactating women, people suffering from bronchial asthma or allergies, without consulting a doctor.

The increasing resistance of lice to traditional neurotoxic insecticides has revealed the need to create anti-pediculosis drugs with a fundamentally different physical principle of action.

For example, an antiparasitic preparation in the form of a topical spray, created on the basis of biphasic dimethicone, has proven itself well. A unique mixture of various viscosities penetrates deeply into the respiratory system of lice and larvae, as well as into the respiratory openings of nits and completely displaces oxygen.

Advice!
Insects are simply suffocating. It is noteworthy that the drug based on biphasic dimethicone effectively fights parasites at all stages of their development: louse, larva, nits.

Thanks to a special formula, the use of the drug makes it easy to comb out dead insects even in long and curly hair, and also provides additional care for hair and scalp.

Due to its ease of use, pleasant odor and excellent tolerance, a spray with biphasic dimethicone is excellent for treating head lice in adults and children from 3 years old.

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