How to get rid of lice and nits permanently 

Lice and nits

Lice are parasitic insects that live in the hair of the human head or on his body and feed on his blood, and move by crawling; They cannot fly or jump, and they are called nits, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that 6-12 million people are infected with lice annually, and most of them are between the ages of 3-11 The reason for this is that children are more likely to have direct contact with others while they are playing, and the types of lice that live on the human body differ depending on where you live, as there are three main types of lice, all of which belong to the same parasite family, but differ in class, and are divided Types of lice into head lice, pubic lice, and body lice.

How to get rid of lice and nits permanently

Getting rid of head lice

 To get rid of head lice, the doctor usually recommends using over-the-counter medicines that kill lice and nits, but these medicines may not kill newly laid eggs; Therefore, the patient needs to use the treatment again, and most studies indicate that the use of the second treatment after nine days of the first treatment may work, and over-the-counter medicines depend on a poisonous substance for lice called Pyrethrin, which is extracted from a flower. Chrysanthemum, and it should be noted the need to wash hair with a shampoo that does not contain conditioner when using these products, and then follow the instructions on the package to know the time required to keep the drug on the hair, and other important instructions, and it is worth noting that washing hair Adding white vinegar before shampooing may help dissolve the sticky substance that the eggs cling to the hair.

In some geographical areas, resistance to over-the-counter drugs is developing, and in other cases, treatment may fail due to improper use of these drugs. Such as not repeating the treatment in a timely manner, and in these cases, prescription medications are required, and these medications include the following

Benzyl alcohol

 (Benzyl alcohol), this product works to kill lice by depriving them of oxygen. This product is not considered toxic to lice, and its side effects include itching and redness of the scalp, and it should be noted that its use in children under the age of six months is not allowed due to side effects. Serious risks that it may cause in this age group, such as epilepsy and others.

 Malathion

 Malathion can be used in children who are not less than six years old, and attention should be paid not to using this product in conjunction with the use of a hair dryer or near a fire flame, because it contains a high percentage of alcohol, and regarding the method of its use, medicated shampoo is placed on the hair Leave it to dry naturally, and after 8-12 hours, wash the hair.

 Lindane

This drug is not used in children as advised by the American Academy of Pediatrics, due to the serious side effects that it causes, such as seizures, and the Food and Drug Administration has warned FDA) from being used by anyone weighing less than 50 kg, who has a history of epileptic seizures, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, or people with HIV infection.

comb the hair out

Combing the hair out after treating the hair with the appropriate medication every 2-3 days for a period of 2-3 weeks helps to get rid of the nits. The following are the steps for combing the hair outward:

Wetting the hair.

Use a suitable comb and comb the hair after dividing it into small strands.

 Wipe the comb with a damp cloth after each pass of the comb through the hair, checking the scalp, the comb, and the cloth while doing so.

Repeat the second and third steps until you have finished all the hair.

Getting rid of pubic lice

 In general, the treatment of pubic lice includes cleansing the body, clothing, and the sleeping place. Pubic lice are often treated using over-the-counter medicinal products that are sold in the form of a topical lotion or shampoo. If these topical products fail to solve the problem, then the medications that dispense The doctor, and it is worth noting that the eggs may remain after the successful treatment, and then they must be removed using forceps, as household procedures such as shaving and hot water are not sufficient to get rid of lice due to the ability of lice to live in the presence of water and ordinary soap, and among the medicines that the doctor dispenses in case of failure Over-the-counter treatments include:

Malathion:

  It comes as a topical lotion and should be kept on the affected area for 8-12 hours.

Ivermectin:

(In English: Ivermectin), which is a drug taken orally, and the patient may need to repeat the dose after 10 days. Lindane: It is the strongest and most toxic drug compared to other pubic lice drugs; Where it is kept on the affected area for only four minutes and then washed, it is forbidden to use it in infants, pregnant and lactating women.

In rare cases, pubic lice may be transmitted and appear on the eyelashes, armpit hair, or the face, and if it is in the eyelashes, the infected person must apply petroleum jelly known as petroleum jelly on the eyelashes and eyelids 3 times a day for several It is possible to get rid of lice and nits using tweezers, and the doctor may prescribe a special medicine suitable for the eye area, as the patient should not use the usual lice shampoos in this case

Getting rid of body lice

Body lice spend most of their lives mainly on the clothes of the infected person, and move to the human skin once or more during the day to feed on his blood. The treatment includes cleaning the entire body, and most importantly, washing clothes and bedding on which the lice are found or getting rid of them Body lice and their eggs are killed if clothes are washed in very hot water and then dried at a high temperature. That is, above 54.4 degrees Celsius for a period of not less than 30 minutes, and it should be noted that dry washing or the use of an iron will also suffice.

 People with thick body hair may need to use a lice pesticide, and there are many effective over-the-counter products for this purpose, which contain permethrin or Pyrethrum extracts, and there are products that contain substances other than permethrin and pyrethrum. However, it is only dispensed with a prescription.

Symptoms of lice and nits

 Itching is the most common symptom of lice and nits, which occurs due to allergy-causing lice bites, but the patient may not feel itching in mild cases, and no symptoms may appear until six weeks after infection with lice, and other symptoms that may appear on the patient are: follows:

Feeling of tickling due to the movement of lice in the hair or on the body.

 The appearance of ulcers (collecting ulcers) due to scratches caused by rubbing. Feeling uncomfortable.

difficulty sleeping Red spots appear on the head, shoulders, neck, and pubic area.

 The appearance of eggs or small white objects in the hair