Customer question:
What do head lice look like? Question from an anonymous forum customer
Pharmacist's answer:
Head lice have six legs, usually grayish-white or brown. However, they can be adjusted and, as a result, appear darker or lighter to match different hair colors. Head lice have three stages in their life cycle:
- eggs
- nymphs
- adult head lice
The egg hatches into a nymph, which goes through several stages of growth before turning into an adult head louse. Nymphs are similar to adult lice but smaller, about the same size as a bug's head. Adult head lice are about 2–3 millimeters (mm) long, about the size of a sesame seed. Head lice crawl and cannot fly or jump.
Eggs or nits are small ovals that stick to the hair shaft and measure 0.8mm x 0.3mm. Female head lice lay eggs up to 6 mm from the scalp. People often find them behind the ears and on the back of the neck. Nits can also refer to the empty egg cases left in the coat when the nymph hatches. These are easier to see, especially on darker hair, as they are lighter, usually white or yellow.
People with head lice may experience the following symptoms:
- itching on the scalp
- tickling sensation on the head
- the sensation that something is moving on the head or through the hair
- sleeping problems as lice become more active in the dark
- wounds on the head from scratching
Interesting reading: We can't get rid of lice
