Lice Detection & Treatment

Lice are parasites that can live on people's bodies, clothes, heads and pubic areas. Because they are found on different parts of people bodies, the three types of lice--head, body and pubic lice--are often diagnosed and treated differently.

Head Lice: Diagnosis

• Head lice can be diagnosed by using a comb to separate a person's hair and looking for adult lice and nits in the scalp and behind the ears, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Nemours Foundation.

Head Lice: Treatment

• Over-the-counter shampoos, such as pyrethrin and permethrin, and prescription shampoos, such as malathion and lindane, are used to treat head lice, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Body Lice: Diagnosis

• Doctors often diagnose body lice by looking for lice eggs and adult lice on people's clothing or skin, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

Body Lice: Treatment

• Generally, people can kill body lice by washing their body and clothes thoroughly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sometimes over-the-counter or prescription shampoos are used to treat body lice, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Pubic Lice: Diagnosis

• Doctors often diagnose public lice by looking for adult lice and nits in the genital area, sometimes using a magnifying glass, according to the Centers for Disease Control, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

Pubic Lice: Treatment

• Over-the-counter lotions are used as the first treatment for lice, according to the Centers for Disease Control. If these products are ineffective, a doctor will often prescribe a lotion such as malathion or ivermectin, according to the Mayo Clinic. If pubic lice infect the eyes, petroleum jelly is used to kill them, according to the Mayo Clinic.