Although dealing with lice is never fun, it can be especially startling when they appear in unexpected areas such as your lashes and eyebrows. Although lice are typically associated with the scalp, they can also infest facial hair, which can be uncomfortable and frustrating.
Since lice on the lashes and eyebrows can irritate, redden, and cause itching, it’s critical to act swiftly to treat the problem. You can feel more at ease and at ease of mind if you know why lice appear in these areas and how to get rid of them.
This post will discuss the possible causes of lice attacking your lashes and brows as well as offer helpful advice on how to get rid of them in a safe and efficient manner. Knowing the proper steps to take can make all the difference, whether you’re handling this issue yourself or just want to be prepared.
Reason for lice on eyebrows and eyelashes | How to get rid of them |
Close contact with an infected person | Use special medicated creams or lotions |
Poor hygiene habits | Maintain good hygiene and regularly clean the affected area |
Shared personal items like towels or makeup | Avoid sharing personal items and wash them thoroughly |
Infestation from hair lice spreading | Comb out the lice and use appropriate treatments |
Sometimes using contaminated towels or makeup, or coming into close contact with an infected person, can cause lice to appear on the lashes and eyebrows. These sensitive areas can become red, itchy, and uncomfortable due to these tiny parasites. Medicated creams or lotions are specialized treatments meant for sensitive facial areas; you can also use tweezers or fine-toothed combs to carefully remove the lice and their eggs. Recurring infestations can be avoided by maintaining proper hygiene and refraining from sharing personal belongings.
- Types of lice
- Symptoms
- Why lice appear on eyelashes
- Treatment of the disease
- Chemical method
- Mechanical method
- Prevention
- Video on the topic
- DEMODECOSIS OF THE EYELIDS / demodectic blepharitis / how to get rid of
- What are pubic lice or crab lice?
- SUBCUTANEOUS MITES IN HUMANS. Demodex under a microscope in a laboratory. SYMPTOMS HOW TO GET RID OF?
Types of lice
A person may contract any one of three lice infections. These are the following:
- head,
- pubic,
- clothes.
Lice inhabit the lashes and eyebrows of humans. This insect is tiny—it measures no more than 1.5 mm—and has a brown hue. It is hardly perceptible. In a mirror, the parasite is only visible when there is a significant buildup. The hair of the genitalia, eyelashes, eyebrows, and armpits are all harboring pubic lice.
They are unable to survive on a head’s hair. This is because this species can only survive on hard hair with a triangular cross section. Tightly adhering to the skin, bloodsuckers consume blood. Given that they lay eggs every day, they reproduce quickly. In addition, the female can deposit up to seven eggs at once.
Symptoms
The parasite enters the body, clings to the skin, and starts feeding on blood. Simultaneously, an unique ingredient is released, causing excruciating itching to manifest. Insects inject a secret into the wound to stop the blood from clotting after feeding. The prolonged healing period following a bloodsucker bite.
If you see a doctor as soon as possible, you can recover from the illness more quickly. In order to accomplish this, you must be aware of the early symptoms, which include:
- unbearable itching, which intensifies at night. This is due to the activity of lice during this period of time;
- swollen eyelids. It is difficult for a person to open his eyes in the morning;
- glued eyelashes. Since lice eggs are attached to the hairs with a sticky component;
- pimples. Their cavity contains a liquid similar to purulent discharge of a white-yellow hue;
- darkened eyelids as a result of the deposition of nits;
- small nodules are determined during palpation. These are lice larvae;
- if the patient has a tendency to allergies, then the eye increases to enormous sizes.
Dark spots that look like they could be from dirty makeup are thought to be a significant indicator of phthiriasis. It is reasonable to assume that they are sick if they are not cleaned off with warm water. Physicians say that other eye conditions exhibit a similar clinical picture. Little blood spots on underwear in the groin area may appear concurrently with the symptoms listed.
Take note! Independently detecting the existence of phthiriasis is not feasible. You should see a doctor and get the required testing done in order to accomplish this.
Why lice appear on eyelashes
Since phthiriasis, an eyelash-affecting disease, is uncommon, not everyone notices its early symptoms. Lice spread quickly as a result of this. There are several factors that can lead to a parasite infection. Among them are:
- Contact with an infected person. This type of lice is directly related to pubic lice. They quickly move around the human body. Usually infection occurs during sexual intercourse.
- You can become infected with nits through a handshake.
- If pediculosis has formed on the pubis, then the patient experiences unbearable itching. As a result, eggs and adult parasites end up under the nails. Next, a person only has to rub their eyes, and the lice move to the eyelashes.
- Infection occurs through the shared use of personal items, for example, through a towel, bed linen, hat.
- You can become infected in public places. Such as a sauna, beach, pool.
For the record, if you use a typical mascara sample from a store, you could get infected.
The larvae of lice are more hardy than the adult insects. They have a longer shelf life than seven days. As a result, wearing clothes that have been cleaned but not ironed can still make you sick. Because of the adhesive component that holds them firmly to the hairs, nits cannot be removed with running water.
Treatment of the disease
It’s not easy to get rid of lice on lashes and eyebrows. Due to their blood-feeding habits, parasites damage the epithelium and cause infection. Conjunctival inflammation results from an increase in infected foci as wounds enlarge. If you have even the slightest suspicion that you may have phthiriasis, you should see a doctor to determine the best course of action.
The quickest and safest method is to remove all of the eyelashes. Not everyone will take a chance on this manipulation, though. Since the disease is most difficult to treat in small children, eyebrows and eyelashes are typically amputated.
The following approaches are used to treat phithiriasis:
- Mechanical, involving the removal of lice and their larvae manually.
- Chemical, which is carried out with special ointments, creams. It is necessary to remember that all appointments must be made by a doctor.
Chemical method
Since getting rid of parasites will take time, you shouldn’t rely solely on mechanical methods. In addition, they will keep growing. The affected area is treated with chemicals prescribed by an ophthalmologist to ensure a prompt recovery.
To prevent getting in the eyes, the medication is applied to the lashes with caution. The medication is diluted one to one with warm, boiling water prior to use.
Using a cotton swab, the chemical is applied in the direction that hair grows. The medication is typically kept for thirty minutes. After that, running water is used to wash it away. It’s important to watch out that the medication doesn’t get in your eyes when you rinse. Since the aggressiveness of these products sets them apart.
Permethrin is the drug that is most dangerous. It is also diluted in equal parts with warm water to lessen the negative effects. Since there is only one active ingredient in these products, the affected area needs to be treated again after a week in order to consolidate the effect.
Crucial point There are combination drugs that increase the duration of the primary ingredients’ effects. It is not necessary to re-treat when using them. One such product is Spray-pax, which is manufactured as an aerosol.
Apart from strong drugs, the subsequent creams can aid in eliminating eyelash lice:
Petroleum jelly should be used to lubricate the scalp prior to applying these ointments. Next, using the edge of a cotton swab, apply the chosen product to the eyelid. For a month, the procedure is performed up to five times per day. It is not permitted to use kerosene or vinegar-containing preparations to treat phthiriasis on eyelashes. because they pose a risk to the eye region.
Treating the other areas of the scalp where these parasites reside is essential for a quick recovery.
Mechanical method
The safest way to remove lice is mechanically. Employ a specialized comb to remove the parasites in order to treat phthiriasis. This is a laborious process.
For two weeks, it should be done multiple times a day. Until the adult insects and eggs are taken out.
Or, alternatively, tweezers. Petroleum jelly should be applied to the eyebrows and eyelashes prior to utilizing this technique as it will slow the insect down.
Next, use tweezers to discreetly remove each parasite and its larva. Using a magnifying glass can help make lice and nits easier to see. It is not advised to perform this manipulation yourself; it is preferable to entrust it to a loved one.
Crucial! You must take precautions to prevent insects and their waste products from getting into your eyes while mechanically extracting parasites. because conjunctivitis will develop as a result of this.
Undergarments and bed linens should be treated while phthiriasis is being treated. To do this, soak it in hot water for one and a half hours, and then wash it with detergent at the highest setting. The linen needs to be thermally treated on both sides with an iron after it has dried.
Antiseptics must be used on items that are handled on a regular basis. Bed linens and clothing can be further treated with a special preparation, such as A-par aerosol, that kills insect larvae after ironing.
Prevention
The emergence of bloodsuckers on lashes and eyebrows cannot be guaranteed. By following these easy guidelines, you can prevent the onset of phthiriasis:
- First of all, it is necessary to carry out daily hygiene measures. Regular washing, taking a shower will allow you to detect parasites in a timely manner and get rid of them as soon as possible;
- It is necessary to observe increased caution in public places. After contact with unauthorized persons, common objects upon returning home, you should wash your hands, treat areas of the body through which infection could occur;
- eliminate the use of common hygiene items;
- Do not make contact with infected people;
- hold a regular change of bedding.
When you have phthyriasis, you shouldn’t become alarmed. You must see a doctor right away, and he or she will prescribe a fast cure for lice that have bitten your eyelashes.
The following articles contain additional information regarding lice:
- At what temperature do lice and nits die;
- how to get rid of nits;
- how the lice propagates, the speed of development;
- Life cycle of development of the head lice;
- What diseases pass lice to a person, what are they dangerous;
- how to distinguish dead nits from the living.
It can be unsettling and surprising to find lice on your lashes and eyebrows. These pests are not limited to the scalp; they can also infect other hair-covered areas, particularly if they come into close contact with an infected person.
Treatment must begin right away in order to address this problem. You can get rid of the lice with specialized lice shampoos and ointments made for delicate areas like the face. To stop infestations in the future, it’s also critical to practice good hygiene and refrain from sharing personal goods like makeup or towels.
Although it’s uncommon, lice on the lashes and eyebrows can still be managed. You can quickly get rid of them and reduce the likelihood that they will return by being watchful and taking the appropriate actions.