A large number of people on the planet faced pediculosis. According to legend, lice appeared from dust, dust and ashes, and was given to a person so that he was not lazy and not lounging. But still, only a small part of people were interested in what these parasites are, and are there any features of their appearance? In this article we will tell you about how lice look, because any enemy, as they say, needs to be known in person.
What are they like?
Lice are ectoparasites, in other words, creatures that parasitize on the surface of another living organism, that is, they feed and live at its expense. In the case of humans, they live on the hairline of the body. This is especially true for the head, since there is quite a lot of hair here and the skin epidermis is thin. This allows the parasites to calmly and freely feed on the host's blood. There are times when lice live on pubic hair (in other words, these are pubic lice).
These parasites are classified as insects. They are small in size (0.4-6 mm), the body is flattened, with an enlarged belly. The piercing oral apparatus is adapted to a parasitic lifestyle. When they pierce the skin, a small amount of saliva is released, which blocks blood coagulation, and the bite site is characterized by skin irritation and severe itching. On average, louse lasts 40 days. However, without food and a host, she can live only about ten days, while the temperature of the environment should not be lower than 10 0 C. The fatal temperature for these parasites is either minus 15 or plus 45 0 C.
We get acquainted with the features of the appearance of parasites
Many people wonder how the louse looks on the head, and what are its features. Before we begin to list the external signs of this insect and some of its features, you need to know that it moves very fast (speed 23 cm per minute), which makes it very difficult to notice and catch. So lice:
- have a grayish and whitish color;
- their body length is 2-3 mm, there are 6 legs;
- it is easier to see louse eggs - nits, which parasites lay in large numbers;
- nits are yellowish-white in color, they cling tightly to the hairline (0.7 cm from the skin), so they are difficult to shake off;
- they are small in size, not more than 1.5 millimeters;
- usually lice and nits are located on the scalp, but it happens on the eyebrows and eyelashes;
- the life expectancy of these parasites is on average 4-5 weeks;
- Outside the head zone, nits can last about two weeks;
- lice feed on blood;
- itching begins two to four weeks after infection and is provoked by the fact that lice, piercing the skin of a person, secrete their stomach fluid through the salivary glands.
Species of parasites
Before considering the question of what danger lice and nits pose, it is necessary to find out what types of them are. There are three of them:
- The first and most recognizable species are head lice that live on the head.
- The second includes pubic parasites. They live on the hairline located on the human genitals.
- And the last look is a louse. As a result of evolution, it developed from the first species. Over time, the louse lost the scales on the legs, which make it possible to stay on the hair, so she adapted to live in the folds of clothes.
Why are parasites dangerous?
Let's get started with what lice are? These are parasites that are called pediculus humanus in Latin. From here comes another name for this disease - pediculosis. Since lice feed on blood, and their mouth organs pierce the upper layer of human skin, they can tolerate various diseases, among which there are also dangerous ones, such as typhus. Lice are parasites that breed actively in natural disasters when people no longer observe basic hygiene rules.
A female parasite can lay several hundred eggs at a time, they are also called nits. Two weeks later, a young generation of lice is excreted from them, after which pediculosis occurs. If you start and do not start treatment in time, then within a few months the lice will "jam" the owner.
Infection pathways
The main reason for the appearance of lice in humans is a simple non-observance of personal hygiene. They are transmitted in the following ways:
- through bedding;
- hats and personal items, such as combs;
- You can also get infected in the pool or open water.
Sometimes lice can be localized and lay eggs in folds of clothing, where they are very difficult to find. From there they go out only for feeding, and then hide again. In such cases, the area of the armpits, groin, back and those places where the clothes fit tightly to the body are severely affected.
Where can I get infected:
- on long trips when it is not possible to follow the rules of personal hygiene;
- in kindergartens, schools, where children are in daily contact with each other;
- seasonal work;
- where there is a large concentration of people, for example, in hospitals, trains, sanatoriums.
In such places it is necessary to pay more attention to preventive measures, conducting periodic disinsection and deratization of the premises. If all the rules are followed, the parasites will stop breeding, and public places will not pose a threat to human health.
Symptoms of the disease
With the development of head lice on the head, the occipital and temporal regions are most affected. In these places, we can observe the following typical symptoms:
- intense itching, which leads to combing the skin to the blood;
- affected areas can turn into abscesses and boils in advanced cases;
- with prolonged pediculosis, the skin becomes denser and sometimes pigmented;
- visual inspection allows you to see nits on the hair that cling to the legs and are located 1 cm above the root of the hair.
Risk groups
Considering the main causes of infection with parasites, we can distinguish the main risk groups:
- very often head lice are observed in children who attend school or kindergarten;
- pests can occur in people from dysfunctional families who do not adhere to basic hygiene rules;
- travelers, if they do not have access to hot water for a long time;
- often lice, photos of which are presented in this article, are picked up by employees of institutions where there is a large flow of visitors who come in contact with them: nurses, doctors, hairdressers, social workers and other services.
Existing treatments
Of course, it is possible to cure pediculosis. To do this, you need to choose the right medicines that work well on parasites, inhibiting their vital activity and killing. But remember that getting rid of nits and lice for good is a long and difficult process, because you need to comb them out of your hair for a long time with a comb. To achieve the desired result and effectively get rid of lice, it is necessary to repeat the destruction procedure several times. After processing the hair, you need to comb out the dead parasites.
How to get rid of lice at home?
Also, parasites can be removed independently, without resorting to the help of a specialist. However, sometimes it’s still better to seek at least a consultation, especially if the child is ill with pediculosis. As you know, for very young children, many medications are simply prohibited, so you can’t do without a doctor here. Caution should also be exercised in cases where a child has an allergy, asthma or nits settled on eyebrows or eyelashes.
Things to remember during treatment:
- You can not use more than one medicine against lice;
- It is necessary to follow its instructions;
- do not blow dry your hair after treatment with antiparasitic drugs, as in some cases they may contain flammable substances;
- do not use hair conditioners or masks before using anti-lice medicines;
- You can not wash your hair after the procedure for two days;
- do not use veterinary antiparasitic drugs produced for animals;
- Do not buy the same medicine more than three times in a row, because this indicates that it does not help, it is better to take another.
How to treat pediculosis?
In the old days, an ineffective treatment against lice was used. Used kerosene, tar soap, dichlorvos, vinegar and cranberry juice. To date, it is not advisable to resort to these methods, since more effective methods of treatment have already been developed. The pharmaceutical market presents various drugs for the treatment and prevention of pediculosis. These are shampoos and sprays. Here are the most popular remedies:
- hellebore water;
- boric ointment;
- Shampoo "Pedilin";
- the drug "Benzyl benzoate";
- Shampoo "Parasidosis";
- sulfuric ointment (5%).
Any of these drugs are prescribed by a dermatologist. Before starting the application, you need to read the instructions and strictly follow it. All drugs are toxic and have a large number of contraindications (especially for pregnant women, young children, allergy sufferers or for people with pathology of the respiratory tract).
After the end of the treatment procedure, it is necessary to comb the hair with a metal comb, since not all lice can die during processing. In addition, they can be removed by hand, although it will take much more time. To facilitate the process of removing nits with a comb, olive oil is applied to the hair. It also has anti-inflammatory and wound healing effects.
Dreamed of lice, what is it?
In the interpretation of many dream books, despite the unpleasant associations that cause lice in us, they predict the acquisition of wealth. If in a dream you want to shake them off your hair, then this means that in real life you want to get rid of the hassle and problems. If lice showered your head in a dream, and you want to lose it, then in life you were close to making big profits, but because of your indecision lost this opportunity. However, lice not always seen in a dream are profitable, sometimes there are other interpretations:
- to see parasites in a dream - to tears;
- many lice can mean poverty or illness;
- if you exterminate them, it means a successful surprise is coming;
- some dream books see crushing nits in a dream as news of death.