Body lice

Body lice are tiny insects without wings. Body lice live in clothing and bedding. Several times a day, they travel to the skin to feed on blood. They often bite in areas where clothing seams touch the skin.

Body lice are most common in crowded living places that aren't clean, such as refugee camps and shelters for people who don't have housing. The lice can spread through contact with the clothes or bedding of someone who has lice. Body lice can spread diseases.

Clothing and bedding that have body lice in them need to be washed in hot, soapy water and machine dried using the hot cycle.

Body lice bites can cause intense itching. You may see small areas of blood and crust on your skin at the site of the bite marks.

Most people who have body lice don't need to see a healthcare professional. If you're not sure that what you see are lice, call your healthcare professional.

Seek medical advice about body lice treatment if:

• Products you get without a prescription don't kill the lice.
• You have infected skin sores from scratching.

You can get body lice if you have close contact with a person who has body lice or with clothing or bedding that have body lice in them.

Dogs, cats and other pets do not spread body lice.

People who are at higher risk of body lice tend to live in crowded places that can't be easily kept clean. Or in places with shared beds, such as shelters for people who don't have housing.

Body lice most often don't cause complications. But having body lice sometimes leads to complications such as:

• Infections. Body lice can irritate your skin. So can scratching the itchy bites. These can lead to skin infections.
• Skin changes. If you have body lice for a long time, your skin may change. It can thicken or change color. This is more likely to happen where clothing seams touch your body.
• Other conditions. Body lice can carry and spread bacteria that cause conditions such as typhus, relapsing fever or trench fever.

To prevent body lice, don't have close contact or share bedding or clothing with anyone who has lice. If you can, bathe often and change into clean clothes at least once a week to help prevent the spread of body lice.

You or a healthcare professional may diagnose body lice after seeing eggs or crawling lice on clothing seams. You also might see eggs or crawling lice on bedding. You can see body lice on skin when they feed.

To treat body lice, first bathe with soap and water. That and washing clothes and bedding in hot water may be all the treatment you need.

If you still have body lice after taking these steps, try lotions you can get without a prescription that have 1% permethrin (Nix) or pyrethrin (Rid). Put lotion on the affected areas at bedtime. Don't put these lotions on your face.

Rinse the lotion off in the morning. Repeat the treatment after eight days.

If these lotions don't kill the lice, your healthcare professional may prescribe stronger treatments. These might include:

• Malathion. You put this prescription lotion on the area that has lice. Wash it off after 8 to 12 hours.
• Ivermectin (Stromectol). You take this medicine as a single dose of two pills. If that doesn't kill all the lice, you can take another dose in 10 days.

These steps may help you get rid of body lice:

• Wash yourself well. Use soap and water.
• Wash clothing, bedding and towels. Use hot water that's at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). Dry clothing and bedding in a dryer on hot for at least 20 minutes. Dry cleaning also works.
• Store items that can't be washed. Put them in a sealed plastic bag for two weeks.
• Vacuum. Vacuum floors and furniture well.

If you can't get rid of body lice on your own, talk to your healthcare professional.

What you can do

Before your visit, make a list of:

• Your symptoms, when they began and how you think you got body lice.
• What you've done to get rid of the body lice.
• All medicines, vitamins and supplements you take, including the doses.

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional will do a physical exam and look at your skin and the seams of your clothes.

What you can do in the meantime

To keep from spreading the lice to others, don't have close contact with anyone while you have body lice.