Pediculosis outbreaks traditionally occur at the end of summer - the beginning of autumn, when people return from vacations spent in places with a large concentration of vacationers. Recently, however, dermatologists' patients are increasingly complaining about pediculosis caught in the pool and even on the sea coast. Experts note that the causative agents of this disease perfectly adapt to the environment and have learned to spread in new ways. Parasites are not at all afraid of water or beach sand, they are ready in a state of suspended animation to wait for the right moment and move to the human body, provoking skin irritation.
Pediculosis is a parasitic disease of the skin and is transmitted by lice that feed on human blood and use body hair to spread eggs. Three types of lice can parasitize on the human body - head, clothes and pubic, which most often affect, respectively, the skin and hair on the head, on the body and in the genital area. Mixed pediculosis may also occur.
Because lice can only move by crawling, the infection is transmitted from one person to another either through direct contact or through shared items (clothing, bed linen, towels, combs). Lice can exist only at the expense of a person, therefore, if there is no opportunity for parasitism, they fall into suspended animation and can wait for several months until they get on the host's body - including remaining on the beach sand, on sunbeds and even in the pool water.
Symptoms of pediculosis and the nature of the manifestation of the disease
Infection with head lice can occur three or more weeks after infection, this is due to the incubation period of the development of the disease. Its main manifestation is severe itching on the skin. It is explained by the fact that lice, when bitten, secrete irritating saliva under the skin. Especially strong, almost unbearable itching all over the body occurs when body lice are affected - and at night it intensifies.
Pediculosis has the following symptoms:
- small greyish-bluish or red spots on the skin;
- scratches at bite sites;
- presence of nits in the hair.
Pediculosis on the head is accompanied by red spots on the periphery of the scalp, with clothes pediculosis, the skin over the whole body becomes cyanotic, and with pubic pediculosis, bluish-gray spots 0.3-1 cm in size appear on the thighs and abdomen.
As a result of scratching, pustular skin diseases can develop due to the addition of a bacterial infection.
Treatment and prevention of pediculosis. The danger of folk methods
The pharmacy assortment of products for combating pediculosis is quite wide, and in the form of shampoos, ointments, aerosols - this is convenient, because it helps to choose the product for any length of hair, for a child and for an adult. The main thing to warn the patient about is that you must strictly follow the instructions for use, since these drugs are quite toxic.
In case of severe itching, antihistamines are used, in case of pustular rash, topical antibacterial ointments are used. Clothes and household items are subject to washing and heat treatment (boiling water, hot iron).
Patients should be aware that folk remedies for the treatment of head lice, as a rule, are much less effective than pharmacy ones, require prolonged use, and at the same time are no less toxic.
As an additional remedy for the treatment of pediculosis, it is possible to recommend the use of hair balms that do not require rinsing them with water. The small particles of silicone contained in them contribute to the rapid and effective termination of the vital activity of not only lice, but also the eggs and larvae laid by them on the hair. The balm is rubbed into the hair, and after a few hours it is carefully combed out with a metal comb.
Lice can be prevented by personal hygiene.
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