A full-grown head louse is about two to three millimeters in size, flat and translucent in color from whitish to gray or brown. Because head lice adapt their color to the host’s hair color over the long term, mostly brown head lice occur in populations with dark hair color and often see-through or whitish parasites in people with blond hair. When a head louse has sucked blood , however, it appears reddish because the blood shimmers through its chitin shell if in doubt it would ne better to visit lice doctors Denver.

The eggs are oval, about 0.8 millimeters long and protected by a chitin shell. At first the nits are translucent, later when the larva has hatched white. They stick to the hair near the scalp. A head louse infestation is often discovered by chance, for example if a few of the parasites fall out of the hair while combing. The diagnosis is therefore very rarely made by the doctor, but mostly by the parents or occasionally by educators / teachers.

Tools: magnifying glass and lice comb

Often there is already a suspicion that someone has head lice either because of the symptoms or because cases of lice infestation are already known in the immediate vicinity. Then the head can be searched systematically for the animals. Aids such as a magnifying glass and a lice comb are advisable for this.

But first you should moisten your hair . You may also want to treat them with conditioner to make them easier to comb. It also makes it easier to see where you have already combed. The hair combing with a regular comb or brush also makes work easier.

Then you should carefully comb through all the hair with the lice comb, the prongs of which should touch the scalp with each stroke. The head lice and their eggs nits, which adhere to the hair near the scalp, get caught between the very close prongs distance: 0.2 to 0.3 mm. This way they can be combed out and identified more easily. To do this, wipe the comb on a piece of kitchen or toilet paper after each stroke and then wash it.

The nits are easiest to find behind the ears and in the neck. Young head lice that are still in the nymph stage can be seen particularly well with a magnifying glass . It is easy to overlook them with the naked eye . The magnifying glass also helps to distinguish head lice and their eggs nits from dandruff.