Contents:
- Medical Video: Child's Play (1988) KILL COUNT
- Difference between lice and dandruff
- What is a tick?
- What is dandruff?
- Causes of lice and dandruff
- Where do fleas appear?
- Where does dandruff appear?
- Characteristics of head lice and dandruff
- Overcome lice and dandruff hair
Medical Video: Child's Play (1988) KILL COUNT
Lice and dandruff are two conditions that attack the scalp. Both of them make the scalp itchy and appear white spots on the hair. Sometimes, it's difficult to distinguish whether you have dandruff or just curse just by looking at it and relying on itching on the scalp. For this reason, recognize further the differences between these two conditions.
Difference between lice and dandruff
What is a tick?
Head lice are infectious parasites that usually attach to the scalp and hair shaft. Pediculus humanus capitis is the name of the parasite that causes head lice. Generally, head lice consist of three types, namely:
- Eggs (nits), usually small white spots attached to the hair shaft.
- Nymphs (young adult fleas), small brown light insects that hatch from eggs.
- Adult fleas, usually larger in size than nymphs, about the size of sesame seeds and dark brown.
About 6 to 12 million children from 3 to 11 years usually have head lice. Head lice survive by sucking blood from the scalp they have left. Lice saliva when sucking is what causes irritation to the scalp and finally makes the scalp itchy.
What is dandruff?
Dandruff, also called seborrheic dermatitis, is a chronic scalp condition characterized by peeling the skin on your scalp. Dandruff that sticks to the scalp often looks like scales. Usually, dandruff will fall out when you scratch it.
Dandruff can cause itching because the condition of the scalp is too dry. Dandruff is not contagious, even if you borrow personal items such as combs, hats or pillows. Even so, people who dandruff may feel embarrassed because the scalp looks dirty and scaly white.
Causes of lice and dandruff
Where do fleas appear?
Lice are usually transmitted from people who have fleas in their hair. Direct head contact or using a comb, hat, towel, and pillow alternately can be a means of infestation to spread. If in a house there is one person who has lice on his head, usually all family members will get infected. Head lice spread from human to human. Fleas in pets are different from head lice in humans. So that pets cannot transmit the fleas they have to humans.
Having head lice does not mean you have a dirty hair or head. Lice will live even in hair that is diligently cleaned. Head lice do not spread certain diseases, but having head lice can make your scalp very itchy. If you scratch the scalp continuously, this condition can make the scalp hurt until it causes infection.
Where does dandruff appear?
While dandruff arises due to several factors, namely:
- Irritation and oily skin (seborrheic dermatitis). This condition is one of the common causes of the appearance of dandruff which is characterized by a red and oily scalp covered in white or yellowish scales. In fact, newborn babies can dandruff, known as cradle cap.
- Rarely cleanses hair. If you do not wash your hair regularly, oil and dead skin cells on the scalp can accumulate and cause dandruff.
- Yeast mushrooms (malassezia).
- Dry scalp.
- Sensitivity to certain hair care products.
Characteristics of head lice and dandruff
Both lice and dandruff together make the scalp itchy. Head lice are usually characterized by small white spots on the hair shaft like flakes of dandruff. The white spot is a manifestation of hair eggs. If flakes of dandruff will fall easily if combed, the egg lice stick tightly. Lice will only be released if you release it slowly from the hair shaft.
For most teenagers and adults, dandruff is easily recognized by the appearance of white flakes on the scalp and hair. Sometimes, if you use a dark shirt, flakes of dandruff will appear on your shoulder. Dandruff in children is characterized by scaly and crusty scalp.
Overcome lice and dandruff hair
Lice and dandruff hair requires different treatments. Dandruff hair can be treated with anti-dandruff shampoo. This shampoo usually contains salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfid, ketoconazole, coal tar, and tea tree oil which can help exfoliate dandruff from the scalp. If your dandruff is severe and cannot be overcome with a special shampoo, the doctor will prescribe certain medications.
Head lice can be treated with special drug shampoos that usually contain permethrin and pyrethrin to kill fleas and eggs. This shampoo is recommended for adults and children over the age of 2 years. You should repeat washing your hair with the same medicine shampoo after 7 to 10 days later to make sure all the lice have died. You can also use a tight-toothed, flat comb to pull the fleas out of the scalp.
