Head Lice

Clean and healthy hair is a way out of lice infestation

Hair troubles resulting from lice infestation is a problem that many children encounter. And when in contact with these children, young adults too contract this infestation.

Lice are tiny insects that live on humans by feeding on their blood. When the insects increase in number, it is termed infestation.

Lice usually find their haven on the scalp amidst lush growth of hair in children and is called head lice.

They can affect the genital area too and are called pubic lice. Sometimes these affect the clothed areas of the body and are called body lice.

Symptoms

Itching is the usual irritable symptom caused by lice and the ensuing scratching causes rawness of the skin of the scalp. It also leads to oozing in the area and then becomes prone to secondary infection with pus. In response to the infection, the lymph nodes behind the ears become swollen and tender.

Pain could also be associated. This itch also disturbs the concentration of the children who are irritable most of the time.

Head lice tend to spread from one to another through close bodily contact, shared personal items like hats and hair brushes.

Lice multiply by laying eggs and these appear as nits adhering to the hair. Body lice tend to spread through infected clothes, bed spreads, unhygienic habits like not bathing regularly.

They tend to cause itching in areas where clothes are in close contact like the waist. Pubic lice is usually found in the genitals and tends to spread to sexual partners and is again known to cause severe itching and is usually confused with scabies.

Prevention and treatment

Though it is difficult to stop the spread of lice in children they should be refrained from sharing hats and combs.

Regular washing of hair with shampoos would help clear away the nits forming regularly. Body lice can be prevented by improved hygiene and washing clothes of infected person with hot water, which usually kills the nits or eggs of the lice.

Homoeopathic medicine has good remedies to clear the infestation of lice and a person less susceptible to growth of lice.

Sulphur is a remedy, which would help in children who are not usually clean. Staphysagria is another remedy when the scalp is affected.

Whenever there is secondary infection with formation of pus, Hepar sulph clears it while the same with enlargement of lymph nodes is cleared by Mercurius. Sabadilla when applied externally has been found to clear the infestation too.

Psorinum allays the recurrent infection of head lice.

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