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The Parents Daily is your source for advice and information for rasing your kids.
Author: jason ciment Article source: http://www.articledeshboard.com/. Used with author's permission.
A lot of us have witnessed the irritant itch resulting grom headlice. These small parasites that resemble tiny ants infest human hair. You should note the term headlice refers to the lice which infects the neck and the scalp hairs only. Other species of lice live instead on human hosts including body lice (which infest human skin) and pubic lice (which infest pubic hair)
%NL% Lice are small in size, visible to naked human eye if observed carefully .Usually lice are bronze to grey white colored. It's a myth that lice can jump from one person to another. In reality this never happens as they have no legs to jump or wings to fly .Certainly we can not conclude that lice can jump of fly from one person to another.
These small parasites exist on human blood. With their large front legs they hold onto human hair follicles, then use their teeth to make a small incision in the scalp, through which they suck blood. This is what causes the itch commonly associated with headlice. Apart from this constant itchiness, headlice are mostly harmless to humans. However, scratching the scalp excessively can lead to bleeding, which in turn increases the risk of microbial infection.
Numerous studies have been conducted into the methods of humanlice infestation. It is widely recognized that these creatures can spread through direct contact between two humans, one of which carries these parasites in his/her hair. The sharing of articles of personal use viz. towels, combs, head-dress, helmets, pillows etc. can also serve as a means of spread of headlice.
Different types of lice removal treatments are available in the market today. These treatments soothe the irritant itch and eliminate the headlice. Some of these are lice shampoo, lice removal brushes, lice removal hair oils, prescription drugs containing malathion, lindane, permethrin, pyethrins etc.
All treatments include both "active" and "inert" ingredients. Active ingredients are those which target the lice and destroy or kill them. On the other hand, inert ingredients are basically means to carry the active ingredients. Inert ingredients include solvents, oils etc. and aggravate the toxic power of the active ingredients. It is always better to use a natural remedy for lice removal. However, the choice of treatment would vary from person to person depending on several factors. Good personal hygiene which includes hair-care goes a long way in protecting infection and infestation arising from these parasites.
Headlice are parasites that infest scalp and neck hair. Usually small, but visible if one is careful. The symptoms of an infestation are itches caused by their feeding on blood. Other than microbial infection, they are harmless to humans. Propagation is caused by direct contact or indirect through personal articles. Lice removal treatments are availables that soothe the itch...
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