Lice - Treatment Overview

Treatment Overview

Lice will not go away without proper treatment. Treatment should begin as soon as symptoms of lice are noticed or when live lice and eggs (nits) are seen on the person's body or in clothing. Specific treatment depends on the type of lice infestation.

• Head lice and pubic lice are destroyed with nonprescription or prescription medicines applied to the skin or scalp, and sometimes with the prescription pill ivermectin. The most common way to treat lice is to use medicated creams, lotions, or shampoos that kill lice.
• Body lice, which live and lay eggs in the seams of clothing, are destroyed by washing clothing in hot water [130° (54.4°) or higher] for 5 minutes or more. This will usually kill adult lice and prevent eggs from hatching. Body lice are only present on the skin when they feed and will usually go away on their own if you bathe daily and wear clean clothes. Medicines to kill body lice are usually not needed.

Usually, children with head lice return to school or day care after their first treatment. However, some schools have a “no nits” policy. In this case, the child can only return to school or day care after eggs have been removed. "No nits" policies are discouraged by both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses.² Most health professionals agree that a child should be allowed to return to class after proper treatment and should be urged to avoid close head-to-head contact with other students. Confidentiality should be maintained so as not to embarrass a child who has head lice.

Itching may continue even after all lice are destroyed because of a lingering allergic reaction to their bites. Corticosteroid creams or calamine lotion can help. For severe itching, antihistamine medicines (such as Benadryl) or stronger, prescription-strength corticosteroid creams may be needed.

What To Think About

Who should be treated?

• Household members and anyone who has been in close contact with a lice-infested person should be examined for signs of lice. If they have itching and skin sores that are commonly seen with lice infestations or if lice or eggs are found on their bodies, treatment is recommended.
• Anyone who has shared a bed with a person who has lice should be treated, whether they have symptoms or not.
• If lice recur after treatment, everyone in the household should be treated again with medicine.
• People who have pubic lice are encouraged to tell their sex partners so that they can also be treated. It is also a good idea to see a health professional to be tested for other sexually transmitted diseases. Up to one-third of people who have pubic lice also have some other sexually transmitted disease.¹