Life Cycle of Lice
Head lice are a common issue here in the United States. If you’ve never had head lice yourself, you probably know someone that has. The CDC estimates that there are somewhere between 6 and 12 million cases of lice each year among citizens ages 3-11 alone. These tiny parasites are about 1-3 millimeters in size. As they mature, lice develop in three main stages, living up to 30 days. Below is everything you need to know about the head lice life cycle.
Nits Vs Lice
Lice eggs or ‘nits’ are tiny, about .5 millimeters in size, and are firmly attached to the hair shafts. They vary in color, ranging from white to brown, and are tear-dropped in shape. Before they hatch, nits are darker in color. Once the louse has emerged, the remaining shell is almost translucent. The female lice attach eggs on the hair shafts about 6mm above the scalp to keep it at the ideal temperature for hatching. After around 6-9 days, the egg will hatch, and a baby louse or ‘nymph’ will be born.
Nymphs
The lice larvae closely resemble their fully grown counterparts. Ranging from 1.1 to 1.3 millimeters in size, these nymphs crawl to the scalp as soon as possible to feed on the blood they’ll need to fuel the 3 part molting process they are about to undergo.
1. The first molt occurs two days after hatching
2. The second molt occurs three days later
3. The final molt occurs around five days, at about 10 days of life.
After three molts, the nymph has finally reached maturity.
Adult Louse
After the third molt, the nymph has finally reached adult louse status. Adult head lice are about 2-3 millimeters in size, with the females being on the larger side. Once the lice have reached adulthood, they quickly begin to reproduce. Female head lice will lay an egg just 1-2 days after mating and can lay up to eight nits a day. The louse only has to mate once to produce nits for the rest of their life span due to their ability to store sperm in their bodies. Adult lice need blood meals several times a day to survive and can live up to 30 days on a person’s head. These parasites cause intense itching and spread from head to head via direct contact.
Lice Treatment and Removal You Can Count On
If you think you have spotted a nit or louse, don’t panic! Here at Lice Clinics in Charlotte, we can have you lice and nit free after just one appointment. Our signature AirTral device uses heat to get rid of lice in one hour. Our trained technicians are experts at getting rid of lice without the use of dangerous chemical treatments, and we guarantee a lice-free scalp after just one session. Head lice are a pain to deal with on your own, but we are here to ease the process. If you or someone you know is dealing with lice, click the link at the top of the page to request an appointment today!