Nymphs are smaller than adults and can be difficult to spot with the naked eye, particularly on different skin tones or hair colors. As with head lice, pubic lice lay their eggs on the base of hair shafts. The oval-shaped eggs are a whitish to yellowish color and are sometimes difficult to remove without a fine-tooth lice comb. Along with discomfort, emotional distress, and sleep disturbance, head lice can lead to a number of complications when left untreated.
For example, frequent scratching can cause breaks in the skin that can leave you vulnerable to infection. Since lice feed on human blood, severe, chronic infestations can lead to blood loss and iron deficiency anemia. In addition, an allergic reaction to louse feces or bites may trigger a rash in some individuals. Know that in most cases these complications are rare. Lice are generally harmless, but they are important to get rid of.
If you suspect that you or your child has lice, a physical inspection of the affected area can usually—but not always—confirm your suspicions. If the exposure was recent or you just learned of an outbreak at school or were informed that a sex partner has crabs , you may not see any clear evidence of an infestation. The lack of physical evidence doesn't mean that you are in the clear. Lice can be mistaken for many things, particularly in the early stages.
What you may assume to be dandruff, acne, or insect bites may later evolve into a full-blown lice infestation. By this stage, others may be affected. If you suspect that you or your child has lice, call your healthcare provider.
While there are numerous over-the-counter lotions, mousses, and shampoos available to treat lice infestations, some products may be less effective for certain types of infestations. There is evidence that certain subspecies of lice may be developing resistance to drugs commonly used to treat infestations, including pyrethrin found in products like Rid and Triple-X.
Moreover, the treatments that work for head or body lice may not work for pubic lice or vice versa. As distressing as it can be to hear that you or your child has lice, infestations are readily treatable. If using an over-the-counter lice killer pediculicide , follow the instructions carefully and use a lice comb to remove any eggs attached to hair follicles. Clothing, bedding, and towels used by an affected person should be laundered in hot water at least degrees F and machine dried using the hot cycle.
Clothing and items that are not washable can be drycleaned or sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks. If you have lice and are too embarrassed to speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist, consider using a telehealth practitioner who can ensure you get the correct treatment and may even be able to prescribe medications for you. Adult lice will start laying eggs the moment they infest a host.
Symptoms can begin when the nits start hatching into nymphs. For head lice, this can take around eight to nine days. Body lice take slightly longer, around one to two weeks, while pubic lice nits hatch in between six and 10 days.
The intensity of symptoms will increase as the lice population grows. Itching is the main symptom of all lice infestations. For head lice, the main affected area will be the scalp, while body lice can cause intense itchiness around the groin, waistline, and upper thighs.
As per their name, pubic lice "crabs" mainly affect pubic hair, causing itchiness in the genital area. Prolonged scratching can lead to sores and infection, particularly with head or body lice. Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider's appointment to help you ask the right questions. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Updated November 20, Some of the more serious infections include: Cellulitis A bacterial infection of the skin and the tissues beneath the skin. Impetigo Impetigo is a skin infection that is sometimes associated with untreated head lice. Piedra infection An infection of the hair shaft, piedra infection is possible when a head lice infestation is left untreated.
Recurrence While infections are certainly caused for concern, the most common complication of untreated head lice is a recurrence. It's only fair to share Leave a Reply Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute! Leave a Reply Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment. View on Facebook. Learn more about why this occurs. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Other Types of Lice. Body Lice Infestation. Read this next. A Close Look at Lice Bites. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M.
Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Medically reviewed by Susan Bard, MD. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Medically reviewed by Sara Perkins, MD. Regular shampoo and other every day hair care products like hair spray, gel, and mousse will not kill them. Over that period of time, they are able to lay anywhere from 6 to 10 eggs nits every single day. Once the female louse lays her eggs, in about 10 more days, each one of those eggs will hatch.
The baby that comes out of the egg is called a nymph. Within a period of about two weeks, that nymph is mature and ready to start laying its own eggs. Left to reproduce uncontrollably without treatment you can easily see what will happen. This cycle will repeat itself over and over again, increasing the severity of the case exponentially as more and more time passes. If no treatment is provided, it would be reasonable to say that you will eventually have thousands of nits and at least hundreds of bugs in the hair.
In fact, that is a very real possibility for those who choose to ignore an infestation. As this infestation progresses, the amount of time required for successful treatment and subsequent follow up will also increase. People with severe infestations, at a loss for what to do at this point, will self isolate and will experience severe itching from the bites of the bugs and the feeling of hundreds of bugs running around on their head.
While head lice do not carry disease, the severe scratching that may accompany this level of infestation increases the risk of cellulitis and other bacterial infections.
Another one of my most memorable clients had probably the second worst case of head lice that I encountered in my time as a lice technician. This teenager had somehow been able to conceal a several months long infestation despite the fact that her hair was not very thick and only about shoulder length.
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