Subcutaneous lice in humans is a widespread myth. The same as the lice that appear from the nerves, or whole tumors, completely inhabited from the inside by lice. People usually talk about lice living under the skin, trying to explain or describe scabies, a common disease caused by a completely different parasite than lice.
However, the myth of subcutaneous lice in humans has gained wide popularity for several reasons:
- Lice are really very small, and even in their normal life environment they are barely noticeable. Many believe that if they are not visible on the head itself, lice are just as invisible under the skin.
- The symptoms of diseases, the responsibility for which is popularly shifted to subcutaneous lice in humans, are very similar to typical pediculosis - the same itching, the same migrating irritations. And once having seen lice on the head with such symptoms, it is easy to blame them for scabies.
- The causative agent of scabies is indistinguishable without a microscope. Of course, popular rumor should somehow describe what a person cannot see. For this, the subcutaneous louse was invented.
Today, science has already well described scabies itself, and the lifestyle of its pathogens, and the lice themselves.Therefore, in order to reliably navigate the causes and differences of these parasitic infections, one should know their pathogens well.
Review
“This summer, after a trip to the village, I got subcutaneous lice. Terrible thing. Small bumps appear on the skin, under which the louse itself is visible in the sun, and they itch terribly. You can’t scrape them off, you can pick them up with a needle and pull them out. Itching is very aggravated by night, during the day you can not feel it. At the hospital, he was prescribed Permethrin ointment and forced to stay in the ward for five days. They said it was very contagious."
Julia, Ogonevka
A little about lice and their biology
All lice are external parasites of humans. They are not able to penetrate inside the body or under the skin, but they are very well adapted to holding on to the hair due to the special structure of their paws. The photo shows a head louse under a microscope - its hook-shaped paws are clearly visible:
Lice almost never appear under the skin, and even in exceptional cases of getting into the wound, they get out of it.
With this inability to live inside the human body, lice resemble other ectoparasites - bedbugs, ticks, fleas. However, they differ from all lice in that they have perfectly adapted to the constant presence on the surface of the human body - here they feed, rest here, and here they lay nit eggs that stick to the hair.
On a note
The existing clothes louse (linen louse) is an evolutionary form of the head louse, adapted to live on clothes and from time to time crawl onto the human body and bite it. These lice also cannot live under the skin, but among other parasites they occupy a special position - they, it seems, do not live on the human body, but are constantly present in close proximity to it.
Lice larvae, tiny copies of adults, also live only on the surface of the host's skin and never penetrate it. Therefore, the question of whether there are subcutaneous lice can be unequivocally answered - no, they do not.
And further: Lice are not cockroaches, so is it worth removing them with Dichlorvos? (the article has more than 20 comments)
Who lives under the skin: in detail about the causative agent of scabies
So what are the notorious subcutaneous lice?
Under this popular name hides another parasite - scabies itch, or scabies mite. It has practically nothing to do with lice, its relatives are encephalitic mites and spiders.
The photo below shows a scabies mite under a microscope - it has 8 paws (human lice have only 6 of them):
These ticks were named subcutaneous lice in humans for the similarity of the symptoms of their infection with the symptoms of lice infestation - severe itching, noticeable blisters from bites and the invisibility of the parasites themselves.
Itching itself is produced by scabies itch with constant drilling of the skin and bites for the purpose of sucking blood. The female tick, as she moves under the skin, constantly lays eggs, from which new larvae emerge, continuing to do the same.
Review:
I was told that one grandfather had a lump on his forehead, and for many years. And when they cut it open, it was full of lice!
Irina, Moscow
Usually, an infected person has 1 to 15 mites on their body. Already this amount causes such severe itching and discomfort that a person is forced to contact health care facilities.
In special cases - among vagrants, for example - several million ticks can live under the skin., which, in addition to itching, can lead to tissue necrosis and the development of especially severe forms of scabies - Norwegian scabies, nodular scabies, dermatitis and pyoderma.
In the photo - the appearance of the hand of a person with Norwegian scabies:
It is impossible to see the scabies mite without a microscope, but a small dark dot is visible at its location under the skin (see photo):
Thus, we can say that the so-called lice under the skin among the people are scabies mites that can cause irritations that outwardly are quite similar to pediculosis.
How to distinguish infection with "subcutaneous lice" from pediculosis?
Some of the symptoms of a skin lice infestation are quite similar to those of the disease caused by skin lice. However, these diseases also have clear differences:
- "Subcutaneous lice" on the head are not found. Only in exceptional cases in children can the scabies mite affect the upper back of the neck and chin. Most often, the tick affects the interdigital space, genitals in men, armpits, abdomen, sides, buttocks, elbows. Unlike scabies mites, lice most often parasitize on the head or pubis.
- "Subcutaneous lice" do not leave characteristic bite marks. If there are such traces, ordinary lice should be suspected. In this case, the first symptom of scabies is a rash. In the photo below - a characteristic rash with scabies.
- Scabies is characterized by the presence of tick passages under the skin, which can be seen when examining places of itching or felt with a finger.
However, always with the appearance of any characteristic symptoms, you should first of all consult a doctor - only he can diagnose the parasite with maximum reliability.
And further: A very useful thing that allows you to get rid of lice and nits without any chemicals - a special medical comb ...
Reasons for the appearance of the myth and what lies behind it
The myth of the existence of subcutaneous lice appeared, most likely, when people suffering from lice tried to explain the causes of scabies. Back in the Renaissance in Italy, a hypothesis appeared that scabies is caused by some kind of microorganisms, but doctors could not find them. Given the similarity of the disease to pediculosis, it is easy to assume that scabies was caused by the same pathogens, only invisible, living under the skin.
In the future, these theories and myths were widely developed: traditional doctors often frighten their patients with stories about how people have huge bumps on their bodies, which, when opened, turn out to be full of lice, about the spontaneous generation of lice under the skin from dirt, and even about that lice are constantly present under the scalp, but are dormant, and are activated only from stress and loose nerves of the owner. And people believe.
Review:
You know, even if they say that lice are transmitted only from person to person, but I will only say that when I broke up with my boyfriend, I had a lot of stress, I didn’t leave the house for more than a month. And mind you, I didn’t contact any of the strangers. But lice appeared in me, of course, at first I could not understand when I saw this muck on my head, but I took a closer look and saw whitish dots, and no one else in the family had them, only I had them. And fortunately there were not many of them, so I quickly took them out. This is how I made sure on myself that lice arise not only from dirt and everything else, but from stress!
Fortunately, today all these speculations have been dispelled, and at the same time, smart doctors know how to quickly and easily get rid of real lice and scabies. Therefore, if some narrow-minded doctor starts telling you something about the existence of subcutaneous lice in the human body, you should run away from him. Preferably - in the direction of the nearest good dermatological office.
What is important to know about lice for any civilized person
Details about subcutaneous mites: interesting shots
What is important to know about scabies and its symptoms: how to protect yourself
The Neat Free comb does a good job of getting rid of lice and nits! Super remedy.
Yes, I agree. Medifox also helps a lot.
My daughter has been constantly getting lice for more than six months, we just can’t get them out, tell me.
Have you tried swimming?
I read that lice cannot live under the skin, they can only be infected. Not very hard to believe. I have had personal experience. When I was in the first grade, I got sick - a throat, a cough, a very high temperature.She lay at home for a week, contacted only with dad and mom. On the first day after the illness, my mother, braiding my hair, found a louse. No one else in the family had them. I think that they still exist under the skin in a dormant state, and in case of illness or stress they can go “up”.
Natasha, lice cannot live under the skin. I will not go into subtleties, but their features of structure and life do not allow them. You got the louse from your friends at school. It happens that you don't notice it right away. Here I had a case: my uncle liked to drink wine, and the same alcoholic came to visit him. He was wearing a sheepskin coat, as if he had not taken it off for 10 years. I suspect that he brought the lice to him. And when a person gets drunk, he does not take care of himself. I was a student then, and lived with my uncle. But I decided to move to a hostel. I went through an examination, including a dermatologist (!), and on the first day in the hostel, undressing, I found a louse on my clothes. Got rid of clothes, washed. Uncle also forced to carry out hygiene measures. That is, the doctor did not pay attention! So do not think that lice are constantly dozing on us. We pick them up from someone.
I'm in a panic
Do not be surprised that I am 12 years old and I am such a smart girl. I know that it often happens in children that they become infected with lice when they are sick. Causes: 1) high body temperature, because of which the child constantly sweats. 2) When children are sick, they cannot bathe, and therefore dirt is one of the reasons.
Well, if you need more reasons, I can write. By the way, when I grow up, I will go to the doctor.
Our house burned down, and after 4 days I had insects on my head. You can't call them lice, I know what lice look like.It was a black dot and a lot of legs, they did not bite, but crawled over the face, ears, neck - it was terrible, because. I was at work. This was in 1974. Literally two days ago, I again felt that something was crawling on my forehead, and I began to comb it out. These insects were not like those, but they looked like a spider with a pouch on the back, they could be seen through a magnifying glass. There is an insect on your page.
Mom has been bitten by strange insects for 2 years. We don't know what to do. Were at all doctors, nobody understands what it is. They look like a grain of sand, or there are white small larvae. Help me please. Maybe someone else has experienced this!
There are chicken lice/mites. Somehow I picked up these parasites in the barn. They bite their heads terribly. They took him out with a plastic bag over his head and a solution of vinegar.
P.S. There was nothing left for the hair. Everything is fine.
It has long been proven that lice appear more often in clean people, since it is easier for lice to bite through clean skin than dirty.
Tea tree oil in shampoo, five drops. Then dry your head and go through the hair iron. And iron everything (ironing the bed every day). Check the head until there is not a single dry nit. This infection is very difficult to remove. I wish you to get over this disease as soon as possible.
I remove lice from a child in a day: first I put some kind of lice remedy on the hair, then they need to be combed out with a comb, and then I look for nits and pull them out of the hair until everything is pulled out. By the way, if at least one nit remains, then the lice will start up again. For the lazy, I advise you to use pediculosis remedies every 3 days for a month. And do not forget to comb out, otherwise they can come to life.