Head Lice Symptoms

Signs and symptoms
... Signs and symptoms of lice include: Intense itching. Lice on the scalp, the body, clothing, or pubic or other body hair. Lice can be up to 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) in size. Lice eggs (nits) on hair sh...

Causes
... You can get lice by coming into contact with either live lice or their eggs. Eggs hatch in about one week. Lice can''t fly or walk on the ground. They spread by: Head-to-head or body-to-body contact. ...

Head Lice Prevention

Prevention
... It''s difficult to prevent the spread of head lice among children in day care and in school settings. There''s so much close contact among children and their belongings that lice can spread easily. It...

Head Lice Treatment

Treatment
... If nonprescription lotion or shampoo doesn''t kill the lice, your doctor can prescribe a stronger prescription shampoo or lotion. Malathion (Ovide) has been re-approved as a prescription drug for trea...

Self-care
... You can get rid of lice with a patient, thorough approach that involves cleaning yourself or your child and any personal belongings that may be infected. These steps may help you eliminate infestation...

Head Lice Other

Head Lice
... What are head lice? Head lice are tiny crawling insects that live in a person’s head hair. The lice feed on blood sucked from the scalp and lay eggs—called nits—that firmly attach to the hair shafts. ...

Overview
... Lice are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that feed on your blood. This itchy infestation is easily spread — especially by school children — through close personal contact and by sharing ...