Sneak Attack: Do Head Lice Always Induce Itching?
The consistent raking of fingernails through the hair to satiate that annoying itch is always troubling, even more so when you realize that it may be lice! On the other hand, if you do not have any itches, you’re safe…or so it may appear.
Head lice are incredibly sneaky. From the time they latch on to your locks, till the time they populate in your hair, there may be no apparent indication that they exist at all.
Lice will evidently create a sense of unease through the strange “crawling” sensation in your scalp. However, they might still not create an itch. Most people wait for the itchiness in their or their child’s head after suspecting a lice infestation, not knowing that it may never come.
Head lice are incredibly sneaky. From the time they latch on to your locks, till the time they populate in your hair, there may be no apparent indication that they exist at all.
Lice will evidently create a sense of unease through the strange “crawling” sensation in your scalp. However, they might still not create an itch. Most people wait for the itchiness in their or their child’s head after suspecting a lice infestation, not knowing that it may never come.
An Itch To Not Scratch
The itch you experience when you have lice is due to louse saliva, an excretion deposited on your skin when lice break your skin to get to the blood in the epidermal layers of your scalp. Human skin generally responds with an allergic reaction to this compound, however, not everyone is averse to it. You can have tens of lice in your hair, without every needing to scratch your scalp once! In case you are worried that you are one of the immune individuals, watch out for these symptoms of head lice instead:- Raised, red bumps along the upper neck (lower half of the back of your head)
- A ghostly, tickling sensation in your scalp
- Presence of white residue an inch above the hair roots
- Difficulty sleeping; lice are quite active when you are nearly stationary in repose
