Lice are tiny parasites that live in the hair and feed on blood from the scalp by biting on the scalp thus making it itchy.
Note that it has nothing to do with poor hygiene and there is no evidence that lice prefer clean or dirty hair. They feed on blood, not dirt or skin cells on the scalp.
Just a few questions should help out.
Let's answer that first.
It would be better to see a pediatrician to rule out any infection. And if there is an infection get the appropriate treatment for it.
Anyway, before you do that or if the bumps are not too bad, let's see if you can find some lice.
Let's continue and see if we can find lice.
The following are needed:
With the gloves on (Using a magnifying glass if any):
Look behind the ear and back of the head near the neckline.
Let's answer a few questions when you have looked briefly.
They should be oval shaped, very small and hard to see. It may be yellow, white or even the same color as the hair.
According to the CDC: If crawling lice are not seen, finding nits attached firmly within ¼ inch of the base of hair shafts suggests, but does not confirm, the person is infested.
Nits that are attached more than ¼ inch from the base of the hair shaft are almost always non-viable (hatched or dead).
They should be about the size of sesame seed (1/16 to 1/8 of an inch) with six legs.
According to the CDC, the diagnosis of head lice infestation is best made by finding a live nymph or adult louse.
It is more time consuming but it has been proven to correctly identify lice in 90% of cases, compared with a 29% accuracy rate for visual inspections.
To do wet combing, you will need:
When you have most of these, let's continue.
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According to the CDC, the diagnosis of head lice infestation is best made by finding a live nymph or adult louse.
According to the CDC: If no nymphs or adults are seen, and the only nits found are more than ¼ inch from the scalp, then the infestation is probably old and no longer active — and does not need to be treated
Note that:
You have to find lice or eggs to use the over-the-counter shampoos or lotions. These shampoos do not prevent lice infestation.
Would you like to see what a pharmacist recommend to get rid of head lice anyway?
Or think you should go to the nearest urgent care clinic to you?