I experienced having head lice during my younger years. As I was growing up I thought that this is the only kind of lice that can affect people. I was wrong about that. I later learned that there are three kinds of lice that can feed on our body. Aside from the head lice, we can also be vulnerable to body lice and pubic lice. The lice mentioned occupy the different areas of our body as their names imply. One of the lice symptoms they have in common is itching. Since lice feed on the blood of a person, they bite the skin. The saliva of these bites causes an allergic reaction that result in the itching.

Head Lice

Head lice are commonly found on hair of a human person. The head lice are common to children between the ages of 3-12 years old. Adults can get it too. The infestation happens when a person has a direct contact from someone who has it. Head lice infestation can affect both the male and the female person.

Body Lice

Body lice live in the seams of the clothing. They only stay in the body when they feed. Body lice infestation happens when the environment is dirty. Body lice could affect people who do not take a bath or live in unsanitary places.

Pubic Lice

Pubic lice are also known as crabs. They are found in the pubic area. They may also be found in the other parts of the body like the facial hair, on eyebrows, on eyelash. They may also be present in the armpits and chest hair. They rarely can be found on the scalp.

Common Symptoms

Itching is the most common lice symptom. This will vary depending on the kind of lice infestation you have. It would benefit you to be aware of the other symptoms of lice. Knowing the symptoms can guide you and make you be aware of what kind of lice you may be dealing with.

Head Lice Symptoms

It may take a while before you feel the symptoms of head lice infestation, especially if it is your first time to experience a head lice infestation. Itching on the scalp may start weeks after the lice have spread. The most affected area would be at the nape and near the back of the ears. One thing that you need to remember is that frequent scratching can lead to broken skins that can form on your scalp. This may lead to infections. You may also feel the sensation that there is something moving in your hair. There could also be swollen lymph nodes the neck area.

Body Lice Symptoms

There are itchy sores that develop in the armpits, around the waist, and along the trunk where the seams of your clothes are pressed against your skin. Red bumps may appear on the skin. Frequent scratching could result in scabbed or crusted skin. Discoloration and thickening around the waist or groin may also happen. This is because the lice may have been present for a long time.

Pubic Lice Symptoms

Pubic lice cause severe itching near the genital area. There might be small marks that look like bruises on the torso, thighs and upper arms. These marks are caused by the bites of the pubic lice. Pubic lice found near the eyelashes or eyelids causes irritation and crusting. Pubic lice are spread through sexual contact.

Prevention and Treatment

You may be thinking that it is the end of the world when you develop lice infestation. Do not despair. Each lice infestation has treatments you can use to stop and prevent further lice infestation.

Head Lice Treatment

The head lice can be treated with natural home remedies like olive oil, mayonnaise and Vaseline.  You can also use head lice shampoo and conditioner that is available in the market. Using lice combs are also recommended for lice treatment.

Body Lice Treatment

You will need to destroy the infected clothing since these are the places they stay. You may also wash the clothes in hot water at 130F at least. Machine dry using the hot cycle. The most important thing to remember in preventing body lice is proper hygiene. In some cases, the doctor also may recommend prescription cream or wash that contains permethrine, malathione and benzyl alcohol.

Pubic Lice Treatment

You can buy over the counter products or by prescription that treat pubic lice. The products usually come in shampoo. They contain pyrethrin, permethrine. You need to wash and dry the infected areas thoroughly. When you use the shampoo make sure that you follow the instruction carefully.

It is a good thing to be prepared when dealing with lice infestation. It is helpful that you are aware of the lice symptoms. This is to your advantage because it will help you be aware what are the things you need to do in order to treat and prevent lice infestation.

The upsurge of head lice infestation cases in the United States should be reason enough for parents to be concerned and worried about their kids getting infested. In fact, eighty percent of schools in the country experience at least one case of outbreak every year. If your kid starts to exhibit head lice symptoms, it is best to act on it fast to stop the infestation from spreading.

Children who are attending preschool in day care centers and those still in the elementary grade levels usually between 3 to 11 years of age are very prone to getting head lice. Why? Children are very active individuals; they play a lot and have close contact with other children. Since head lice are widely spread through direct head to head contact with an infested individual, it They have no knowledge as to what is really happening and how serious the situation is. So when their head itches, they most likely shrug it off as nothing and play on. This is a head lice symptom.

Head lice do not choose their host. Social status, age, sex, or personal hygiene does not matter to them. They infest anyone if there is the slightest chance. Yes, head lice are more common to children but adults are not spared from it. Yes, boys and girls alike are prone to head lice but girls are more at risk than boys primarily because they have longer hair. Unlike what most people think, head lice infest on both dirty and clean heads and regardless of economic status.

Ways Children Can Get Head Lice

Head lice can transfer from one host to the other mainly through head-to-head contact. Child activity involves a lot of play time with friends and school mates and this can easily be where head lice can take the chance to spread. There are also other indirect means wherein they can be transmitted. Although rare and uncommon ways of transmission, borrowing of personal effects such as combs, brushes, headbands and ribbons, barrettes, towels and stuffed toys can also contribute to spreading head lice.

Lying on a bed, couch, pillows or stuffed toys that an infested person recently used can also add to chances of getting head lice. Sharing clothing such as scarves, hats and coats is another uncommon factor. These incidences are rare in occurrence because head lice separated from the host can only live one to two days without feeding on blood. Nymphs, young head lice, have only several hours before dying because of being away from human host and not feeding blood. Nits or lice eggs generally die within a week from being separated from human host and cannot hatch at temperature not close to that of a human scalp. So unless the sharing or borrowing of personal belongings with an infested person happens very recently or within 48 hours, the probability of transmission of head lice is extremely small.

Head Lice Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of head lice can significantly help parents stop the current infestation the soonest possible time. The first alarm for parents to suspect a possible infestation would be when kids start scratching their heads vigorously because of the constant itchy feeling on the scalp. The itching is caused due to an allergic reaction of the scalp to the head lice bites. The infected person should feel a tickling sensation or as if something is moving on the scalp. Head lice bites can cause infection to the scalp. The constant scratching can make the scalp sore which explains the redness on the surface. The sore can sometimes become infected by the bacteria found on the scalp.

Head Lice Treatment

There are a number of head lice treatments available to worrying parents. Firstly, there are over-the-counter and prescription medications effective in treating head lice. What parents must remember in using chemical treatment on their kids is that instructions must be followed to the letter for best results. Yet, there have been growing concerns where head lice have become more resistant to over-the-counter medications used by infested person. It would be best to visit your health care provider so that an alternative lice medicine may be given.

A conventional and mechanical way of treating head lice is the wet hair combing. This is done by using a lice or nit comb which is a fine-toothed comb capable of scraping lice and nits off the scalp and hair. After washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner, comb with lice comb while the hair is still wet or damp. Repeat combing until head lice and nits are found. It is advisable to do this procedure often until there are no more traces of lice and nits. This treatment may be effective, but it takes longer and more tedious than using chemical treatments.

‘No-nit’ Policy

Due to the increasing cases of head lice outbreak, many schools have already chosen to apply the �no-nit� policy which states that kids with head lice or nits are not allowed to go school and can only return once all the nits and head lice are removed. This controversial policy received criticisms from some of the experts because they believe that there is no need for such policy since head lice are not health hazards. They do not spread health diseases. Truth is they are just disgusting, embarrassing and irritating, an annoyance to daily living. But adopting the said policy still depends on the school board lice policies.

Prevention and Control

Head lice infestation can be stopped. Children, parents and adults can effectively prevent and control head lice outbreak by:

• Avoid head-to-head contact during play, school, slumber parties and other activities that kids are usually engaged in.
• Avoid borrowing or sharing clothing such as hats, scarves, coats and others.
• Avoid borrowing or sharing personal belongings such as brushes, combs, towels and others. Because head lice cannot survive on heat, sterilize used combs and brushes by an infested person for 5-10 minutes.
• Beds, pillows, carpets, couch or stuffed toys recently used by an infested person must not be used before disinfecting.
• All items used by an infested person including clothes and linens 2 days prior to treatment must be disinfected in hot water or dry-cleaned.