Lice on the eyelashes - the causes, symptoms of phthiriasis, the main methods of treatment and prevention

Definition of parasites

Having found lice on their eyelashes, many people mistakenly think that this is head lice that has got over from the head. Actually this phenomenon has its own name - phthiriasiswhich is characterized as pubic lice.

It sounds strange, but it is the pubic lice that are able to "linger" on the eyelashes. These parasites settle on the pubis, armpits, and more rarely on the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Lice cling to the skin at the hair root and feed on human blood. Another unpleasant feature is that it is pubic lice that can cause palpebral head lice, and cause unpleasant consequences for the eyes.

Same these parasites are very small in size - up to three millimeters, usually yellow in color, outwardly similar to crabs. They move little, but at the same time they multiply quickly, laying eggs daily. Adult parasites live up to 30 days.

Can pubic lice be on the eyelashes?

Only a pubic louse can be on the eyelashes and eyebrows of a person.... The difference between these parasites is that they settle on coarse hairs with a triangular section (the tears of the hair on the head are round).

Insects are difficult to spot. They move little, mostly spending time in one place, fixing themselves at the base of the hair. Despite this, the parasites multiply rapidly, increasing the population every day.

Reasons for the appearance

The possibility of contracting this disease is extremely rare, but despite this, there are several reasons for infection:

The surest way of infection is from contact with a sick person. Most often it is intercourse with a carrier of pubic lice, which quickly move to a healthy body, then settling higher on the body, for example, on the eyelashes.
Infection is also possible through close contact with a patient - shaking hands, hugging, kissing - all this leads to an inevitable illness.
Another cause of infection is the presence of pubic lice. At the moment when the patient tries to eliminate the itching on the pubis and begins to scratch the infected area, particles of skin and nits fall under the nail, which, when touched with eyes and eyelashes, quickly move to a new zone.
In addition to infection from a carrier through direct contact, it is possible to pick up lice through personal hygiene items - a towel, a hat, bed linen, etc.
Since the lice themselves do not live without a parasitized organism for more than a day, they are replaced by eggs - nits that can live for several days and cause phthiriasis on a healthy body. therefore you should be extremely careful when visiting such public places, like pool, sauna, beach, solarium, water park, etc.

Attention! Despite the fact that lice are also found in pets, you should not be afraid of infection with pubic lice. They are transmitted only from person to person.

Infection routes

For a long time, it was believed that phthiriasis is a disease of people who occupy a low social level, which contributes to the manifestation of unsanitary conditions. Unfortunately, anyone can "pick up" pubic lice, regardless of social status.

Everyone should know this! You can become infected with pubic lice, both sexually and in everyday life, through household items.

Therefore, the main routes of infection with phthiriasis are:

Intimacy.
Use of other people's hygiene items.
Visiting crowded places such as saunas, baths, swimming pools, gyms and sections, public toilets.
In the conditions of hostels and barracks, where large areas do not allow to maintain cleanliness at an appropriate level.

Often, women become infected with phthiriasis during pregnancy, since during this period pregnant women are prohibited from taking many pharmaceutical drugs. In addition, anti-lice drugs have a certain degree of toxicity, so most of them are simply contraindicated. Below you can see pubic lice in women, in the photo.

Infection symptoms

Before proceeding with the symptoms of head lice, let's figure out how lice act when they get on the body. First of all, they attach tightly to the hair and bite on the skin, feeding on human blood. At this point, they release a certain fluid that causes irritation and itching.

For more information about the types of lice, how they reproduce, and also about the incubation period, read on our website.

After saturation, the lice in the wound secrete a secret that does not allow the skin to curl and a person forms small, long-lasting wounds. Then there is mating between individuals and the laying of eggs, about seven pieces. Nits attach very tightly to the hair, and it is impossible to remove them without exposure, they also remain in place even during water procedures.

There are several symptoms of phthiriasis:

The first symptom is the appearance of itching in the eyelid area, and especially at the root of the eyelashes. Sometimes, the intensity of the scratching is replaced by the times of the day. For example, during the daytime, parasites are less active, and at night they become active and there is a greater desire to scratch the eyelashes.
Same swelling of the eyelid may occur, in exceptional cases - it is impossible to open the eye.
The eyelashes begin to stick together, and there is a feeling of thickened eyelashes, with dusting, as nits are attached to them. It looks rather strange, since the eggs themselves are almost invisible.
In those places where there were scratches, vesicles and pustules appear, resembling small pimples with accumulated fluid inside.
Same black - brown spots appear at the base of the eyelashesthat resemble the remains of cosmetics - pencil or mascara. In fact, these are parasite excrement and eggs, which can be viewed under a magnifying glass.

These symptoms are conditional and can occur in other diseases, therefore, for effective treatment, it is necessary to go to the doctor and conduct a detailed diagnosis.

Life cycle

In the nits (eggs) stage, the ploshchita stays for 5-7 days, then a larva (nymph) appears from the egg, which undergoes three molts in 13-17 days and becomes an adult insect. The larva differs from the adult only in its smaller size and lack of the ability to reproduce, while it also bites its host.

After the third molt, the insect becomes sexually mature. An adult louse takes half a day to feed on blood and mate with an individual of the opposite sex. Almost immediately after this, the fertilized females lay their first eggs. On average, an adult female lays 1-3 eggs per day, thus managing to lay 30-50 eggs in her life. An adult insect lives for 20-30 days, sometimes more - up to 40 days.

Gallery

Now that you are more or less familiar with lice on the eyelashes, a photo of their appearance is the next important question that worries many:

Therapies

In order to effectively get rid of pubic lice and nits, doctors recommend starting treatment by removing the hairline on which insects are kept. With this simple step, pubic lice are eliminated and the treatment is aimed at overcoming the consequences of their vital activity (healing of bites, suppurations, skin dermatitis).

Unfortunately, the louse is designed in such a way that it can cling to the skin with the mouth apparatus and, as it were, burrow into the skin. In this case, simple hair removal is not enough, and a medicine for pubic lice must be used.

Treatment

Usually, aggressive agents such as tar soap, dustus or kerosene help fight lice. But the eyes are a sensitive place, and if they get in, these products can cause a corneal burn or an allergic reaction.

Therefore, for the treatment of phthiriasis, drugs are chosen with caution so as not to cause more harm... There are two areas of lice control: mechanical and medicinal.

Mechanical method

This method of treating lice on the eyelashes is in several ways:

Brushing out parasites and nits with a special small, fine-toothed comb. The procedure is rather difficult, since the area of infection is very small. Also, you should not act on your own, as the remains of excrement and eggs can get on the eyeball, which can lead to more serious diseases, such as conjunctivitis.
Another method is removal of lice, nits with tweezers... This procedure takes a long time and manual dexterity, since the eggs are tightly attached to the hair. Here you also cannot do without the help of a stranger.
Also when infected recommend complete hair removal on the eyes, for this, the eyelashes are cut as short as possible. Usually, this method is used in the treatment of pediculosis in children, since it is quite difficult for them to comb out parasites.

Drug treatment

Advice: After the mechanical method, you should not stop, you also need to apply certain drugs for ever to make the treatment more effective.

Let's take a look at some of them:

If the lesion is not too large, then it will be enough applying petroleum jelly... It should be rubbed into the roots of the eyelashes daily, up to three times a day until complete recovery.
For large contamination, you can prepare a solution consisting of kerosene and soap in a 1: 1 ratio.
It must be applied carefully, with closed eyes, to avoid eye contact. After application, you need to stand for 10 minutes, and then rinse off with plenty of water.
Also for getting rid of lice you can purchase the drug permethrinused with caution and after consulting a doctor, as they are very aggressive.
Also, in order to avoid burns, the preparations must be diluted with water in a 1: 1 percentage ratio.
For example, Pedilin, Nix, which are applied with a cotton swab to the eyelash growth line, then kept for a while and washed off with water.
Sulfur ointment is sometimes used to fight parasites. It is also applied to areas without eyelashes daily.

There are many useful articles on head lice on our site:

Do lice get on dyed hair and what is the specificity of treatment and selection of anti-lice drugs?
how to remove nits and lice from long hair without resorting to a zero-cut haircut?
what to do if lice appear on the head? First and next steps!
what to use to combat parasites on the head: what are lice and nits afraid of?
how the head is examined for head lice: an algorithm of actions and recommendations;
treatment of head lice in pregnant women, as well as in a nursing mother: how to safely remove harmful parasites?
head lice in adults: causes of infection and how to treat lice and nits?
best of the best: remedies for the prevention of head lice.

Folk remedies

These are the same products that are used to kill hair or body lice and nits. The affected areas are lubricated with such means:

vinegar solution;
gruel from crushed cranberries;
Castor oil;
geranium oil.

All of these options are pretty benign. They are not harmful to health, but for the onset of the effect they require long-term use. When severely affected by pubic lice, they are powerless. In addition, you will have to leave the product on the affected areas for some time to act. This is not always convenient and appropriate.

You can use more aggressive options:

3% hydrogen peroxide;
boric or sulfuric ointment;
kerosene.

They need to be used with great care, as these funds can be toxic or cause burns to the mucous membrane. In addition, they may be ineffective against nits.

Phthiriasis should be treated with medication using effective agents that work against lice and nits. These are pediculicides that destroy parasites. You can use preparations based on different active ingredients: Medilis-Permifen, Medilis-Bio, Medilis-Malathion or Medilis-Super. They are available in spray or emulsion form.

Each drug is accompanied by instructions for use, which must be strictly adhered to. Most drugs can be used by people who do not have individual intolerance. Some can be used to treat children from 5 years of age. The result will come in a few minutes or hours.

Duration of treatment

How long does it take to treat lice on the eyelashes? Usually, as for the fight against head lice, treatment requires an integrated approach and a long time.

Also, the course of treatment depends on the degree of infection. If you have a small hearth, then it takes a day or two to get rid of.

If the degree is neglected, then the treatment may take weeks, and sometimes months. On average, the course of treatment for lice on the eyelashes takes three to five days., followed by prophylaxis for a month to avoid recurrence.

Lice and nits appeared on eyelash extensions, what to do

Many people believe that parasites cannot appear on extended eyelashes. However, this situation occurs because the parasite feeds on blood, receiving it through the skin of the eyelid. Artificial material does not protect against parasite infestation.

If such an unpleasant situation arises, you need to remove the eyelash extensions, and then continue the treatment using standard methods.

Prophylaxis

In order not to get infected with phthiriasis, it is enough to follow a few rules:

Daily and regularly carry out hygiene procedures.
Avoid or be extremely careful in public. After each visit, take a bath thoroughly and treat all possible areas of infection.
Use only your own personal hygiene products.
Do not come into contact with infected people.
Change bedding regularly, for greater efficiency, it should be processed with a hot iron.

Agree, these rules are very simple, but their observance will reduce the risk of lice.

Of course, lice are very unpleasant and cause some disgust at the very thought. But, despite this, everyone can become infected with these parasites. Therefore, if you find them, do not panic. Be patient and start treating head lice. Not a single person has yet died from these parasites. Also, follow the rules of prevention to reduce the risk of infection.

They're not easy to get rid of

Traditionally, lice are fought with the help of various aggressive means:

kerosene;
dust soap, etc.

However, eyelashes and eyebrows are very close to the eyes, and it is quite dangerous to use such drugs there.

Lice larvae are characterized by the highest degree of viability than adult parasites. They are able to remain viable for over a week. Infection can even occur through washed laundry. Parasites attach to the hairs of the eyebrows and to the eyelashes due to the stickiness of the component they release.Therefore, they cannot even be washed off with running water.

Symptoms of the disease

The picture of the disease is often similar to that of the eyes. Therefore, the exact definition of the diagnosis should be dealt with by the doctor. If at least some of the signs appear, medical advice from a specialist is required.

If the skin around the eyes itches a lot, especially at night, burns without obvious signs of allergy - this indicates the appearance of lice on the eyelashes and eyebrows.

Allergic reactions can also occur due to secretions that insects leave on the skin. Constant mechanical irritation leads to swelling, tearing, wounds and irritations, and conjunctivitis develops when parasites or substances secreted by them enter.

The presence of small pimples and pustules filled with a yellowish-transparent liquid is a sign of phthiriasis. Over time, black-brown spots appear on areas of the skin that cannot be washed off. This is how abundant clutches of insect eggs manifest themselves.

Difficulty opening the eyes after sleep is referred to as a symptom of the disease. Lice on the eyelashes actively attach new nits, causing the hairs to stick together. When examining the area around the eyes, small seals can be felt, which are eggs and adult parasites.

The presence of small pimples and pustules on the eyelashes is a sign of phthiriasis.