What does Head Lice Look like? Here are the facts, symptoms, and Head lice egg pictures – Lice are small and wingless parasites that are in the hair. Lice easily spread in the body or clothing and cause dermatitis (red, itchy, swollen) called the lice disease.
Head lice or Pediculus humanus capitis are parasites that live on the scalp and result in itchy scalp. The medical term for the disease caused by head lice is the Pediculosis capitis.
A person may be getting head lice due to contact with other people’s heads who have head lice. This is different from people’s assumption that head lice arise due to poor hair and scalp hygiene, or the consequences of contracting animals.
What does Head Lice Look like?
What does Head Lice Look like? Here are the size and shape, life cycle, and Head lice egg pictures.
Size and shape.
Head lice are small insects (maximum 3 mm, larvae measuring less than 1 mm) that live and breed in the human scalp and hair.
Head lice eggs are oval-shaped, transparent, white, yellow tanned or dark brown. The empty egg shell is white and shiny, and can be found along the hair strands.
Life cycle.
Female older lice can lay eggs for up to six eggs daily. The lice lays eggs and is placed right on the hair shaft. Eggs essentially stick to the hair by secretions from female lice.
Eggs take about a week to hatch, producing nymphs. Nymph, then passes three consecutive growth bursts. During this burst, they were squeezed to an older head lice size.
Older lice are about the size of sesame seeds and are very difficult to see, because they are white to brown. Head lice usually suck blood four to five times each day. They use their mouths to bite the skin and remove substances that function to block freezing.
Head lice egg pictures.
Related to head lice, photographer Gilles San Martin shares An example of a portrait of a lice infection in the head hair. It’s looks detail how the original 0.57-millimeter egg lice stuck to a strand of hair.
Facts about Head Lice.
- Head lice always attack and spread during spring and summer. When the ambient temperature is warmed or hot, then head lice will expand and reproduce. The temperature they prefer is around 32 degrees Celsius.
- Head lice have the ability to spread very quickly as well as bed bugs hiding in cloth fibers. In addition to being able to spread rapidly, head lice can also “duplicate themselves” or reproduce in a short time.
- You need to know that the age of head lice is very short, only 3-4 weeks, which is divided into three phases: the egg phase, the older phase and the reproducing older phase.
Head lice symptoms.
The symptoms of head lice are itching on the scalp, which can spread to the neck and ears. This itching arises due to the human skin reaction to feces or lice saliva. In addition to itching, the sufferer can also feel something is crawling in the scalp.
The itching of the scalp makes the sufferer scratch the head continuously. Itching will be felt more at night, because the lice are more active in dark conditions. As a result, sufferers become sleeplessness.
Scratching the head continuously will cause the scalp to become injured, and if the wound is infected with bacteria, pus will appear.
When should I check with a doctor?
Generally, you can get rid of head lice and home therapies like using a special lice shampoo.
You should contact your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Home therapy failed to kill head lice. Your doctor can give you a stronger treatment.
- You are pregnant. You should avoid medicated shampoo until you consult with your doctor
- You have an infection rash due to scratching.
If you have any of the signs or symptoms above or any other question,, consult it with your doctor. Each person’s body is different. Always consult a doctor to treat your health condition.
Read also: Tea Tree Oil for Lice: The Spread and How to Use It.
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