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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Diagnosing Lice

One thing about head lice is that it is not exactly easy to diagnose, in this article we will explore some of the ways to diagnose head lice and what signs to look for.

When it comes down to it, head lice are extremely hard to see and the eggs, called nits are even harder to see. They move quickly, avoid all light sources and are basically flesh-colored. There are quite a few signs that you can look for when you think your child may have head lice.

The first sign is going to be the scratching along the scalp. If you see your child scratching their head a lot, you definitely need to get him or her checked out for head lice. A head louse makes their meal off of human blood and they feed several times a day, as soon as they bite the scalp, they cause the human to have an itch. If the scratching continues it can often lead to the scalp getting bloody and infected so you will have to watch for extreme scratching.

One item that you will need when you suspect head lice are infesting you child’s scalp is a nit comb. This will allow you to separate and comb through the strands and it will be easier to spot nits/head lice. If you can not find any live, crawling head lice it is important that you look for nits or head lice eggs.

Nits usually attach themselves within ¼ of the base of the hair shafts and they do not shake off – they need to be picked off. Head lice and nits attach themselves onto the hair follicles and will not shake off. Head lice can be seen with the naked eye and while a head louse is small and quick, if you use your nit comb, you will be able to see them.

Nits are usually brown, tan or white and look somewhat like dandruff but will not shake off or move when touched. Once you have made your diagnosis, you will need to definitely start treatment right away, whether you use shampoo, conditioner or a lotion, starting treatment as soon as possible will eliminate the annoyance from your child’s head.

So there are all the tools you need to make an accurate head lice diagnosis, all you need to watch out for are nits (head lice eggs), live and crawling head lice and a nit comb so you can part the hair and see the head lice.

If you're interested in more articles about head lice, click here - Articles.

Enjoy!

I wish you all the best on your head lice adventure!

Best wishes,
Thomas T :)

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