Head lice are tiny insects that feed on human blood, most often from the scalp. These insects are found worldwide. Head lice infect hair of any length and type. In the United States, head lice tends to affect young children and their caregivers. The insects mainly spread by crawling directly from the hair of one person to the hair of another.
To diagnose a head lice infestation, you or a healthcare professional look for lice at any stage of the life cycle. Young lice or adults may be seen or collected with a comb. The fine-toothed comb, called a nit comb, is used from the scalp to the end of the hair. Guidelines suggest looking at wet hair that's coated with hair conditioner or other products.
Lice on the scalp, body, clothes, or pubic hair or other body hair. Adult lice may be about the size of a sesame seed or slightly larger. Lice eggs on hair shafts. Lice eggs, called nits, stick to hair shafts. Nits may be hard to see because they're tiny. It's easiest to see them around the ears and at the hairline on the neck.
Diagnosis During an exam, you or a healthcare professional may use a magnifying lens and a fine-toothed comb to look for lice. Head lice You or a healthcare professional may diagnose head lice after finding live lice in the person's hair or on the scalp. The healthcare professional also looks for lice eggs, called nits, by combing the hair with a special comb called a nit comb. But finding ...
If you don’t want to use medications that kill head lice, try using a fine-toothed comb or nit comb to physically remove lice from wet hair. For this method to be effective, however, it must be repeated every three to four days for at least two weeks. It can be difficult to remove all lice and nits this way.