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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Common signs and symptoms of head lice may include:
- Intense itching. An allergic reaction to the saliva that lice inject during feeding may result in itchy red bumps on your scalp, neck and shoulders. Some people, particularly if this is their first infestation, don't experience itching.
- Adult lice on scalp. The most common spots to find adult lice are behind your ears and along the back of your neck. Lice are tiny, about the size of a strawberry seed, but they can be up to 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) in size.
- Lice eggs (nits) on hair shafts. Nits resemble tiny pussy willow buds. Nits can be mistaken for dandruff, but unlike dandruff, they can't be easily brushed out of hair.
When to see a doctor
Usually you can get rid of lice by using nonprescription shampoo that's specifically formulated to kill lice. However, if nonprescription shampoo doesn't kill the lice, your doctor can prescribe a stronger, prescription shampoo.
- Goldstein AO, et al. Pediculosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Head lice: Fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/factsheet.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Head lice: Treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/treatment.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Ectoparasites. In: Rakel RE, et al. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/128370895-3/822018529/1481/307.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50029-4--cesec39_1386. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Schlossberg D. Arthropods and leeches. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/128370895-5/822078666/1492/1286.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50385-2--cesec27_16133. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Burkhart CN, et al. Fomite transmission in head lice. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2007;56:1044.
- FDA approves benzyl alcohol lotion for the treatment of head lice. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01993.html. Accessed April 15, 2009.
- Head lice: Prevention and control. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lice/prevent.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
