Patient education: Lice (The Basics)

What are lice? — These are tiny insects that can live on people's skin and in their hair, and cause itching. Three types of lice can live on or close to people's bodies:

●Head lice can live on your scalp and in the hair on your head (picture 1 and picture 2).

●Pubic lice, also called "crabs," can live in your pubic hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, beard or mustache, or other areas (picture 3).

●Body lice can live in the clothes you wear, and feed on your body.

Lice do not fly or jump. They are spread by person-to-person contact. For example, you can get head lice from head-to-head contact with someone who has it. You can get pubic lice by having sex or other intimate contact with someone who has it. It's also possible to get head lice or pubic lice by sharing items like hats, combs, towels, or clothing. But this is probably less common.

People can get bitten by body lice when they use clothing or bedding that has lice in it.

Lice lay eggs, called "nits," which then hatch into new lice. People can find lice and nits on their body or in their hair (picture 4).

How can I tell if I have lice? — Most people have itching on the part of the body where the lice are. With pubic lice, people can also have pale blue spots on their lower belly or upper thighs, or itching and redness of their eyes or eyelids.

But some people might not have any symptoms at all. They might find out that they have lice only by seeing small white nits or live lice in their hair. It can be easier to see nits, because lice can move quickly and hide from view.

What can I do on my own to get rid of lice? — To get rid of head and pubic lice, use a non-prescription shampoo, cream, or lotion that kills lice on your hair or body. Follow all of the directions on the label.

●You might need to repeat the treatment in about a week to make sure that all of the lice and nits are killed.

●Pay special attention to the area behind the ears and around the neck.

●Some treatments can only be used on people over a certain age.

You can try something called "wet combing" if you do not want to use medicines. Wet combing means using a special fine-toothed comb and technique to carefully comb out nits and lice from hair. This usually does not work as well as medicine to kill lice.

You might hear or read about other treatments for lice that involve products like olive oil or mayonnaise. Most doctors do not recommend these "natural" treatments.

If you or someone who lives in your home has lice, all adults and children in the home should be checked for lice. Anyone else found to have lice or who sleeps in the same bed as the person with lice should get treatment. Tell others who have close contact with the person who has lice so they can be checked as well.

You will also need to get rid of and kill the lice on items in your home so you don't get lice again. To do this, you can:

●Wash clothes, bedding, and towels in hot water. Dry them on the hottest setting.

●Vacuum your carpets and furniture.

●Put things that you cannot wash into a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks.

If you have pubic lice, you also need to:

●Tell anyone that you had sex or intimate contact with in the past month. This way, they can be treated, too.

●Get tested for other diseases that you can catch through sex. If you got pubic lice from a partner, it's possible that they could have passed another disease to you, too.

Can my child go to school? — If your child has head lice and attends school or day care, you might need to talk to the nurse or another staff member. This will help them know if they should do anything to reduce the chances of spreading lice to others at school or day care.

Children with lice do not have to stay home from school but should start treatment right away.

How can I prevent getting lice? — You can reduce your chances by:

●Not sharing a bed, clothes, or personal items with someone who has lice

●Not having sex or other intimate contact with someone who has pubic lice

When should I call the doctor? — Call your doctor or nurse if you can't get rid of the lice by doing the things listed above. They might prescribe a different lotion or a pill for you to take.

More on this topic

Patient education: How to use topical medicines (The Basics)

Patient education: Head lice (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Pubic lice (Beyond the Basics)