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Suggest Treatment For Body Lice

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Posted on Wed, 13 Jul 2016
Question: How do I treat body lice?
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Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (51 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
If body lice only then mainly linens and clothes

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Lice is caused by a type of parasite that live on the body. They can also be in the hair or in the genitalia region. Treatment varies slightly depending on if the infection is on the body, in the hair or in the genitalia.

It is not related to fungal infection and would not respond to diflucan or any other antifungal.

Treatment of lice has two phases : (a)medication and (b) environmental control

Body lice may live on the clothes so the main treatment involves clothing and bed linens- laundering in very hot water, ironing with a hot iron or dry cleaning in a hot dryer to kill the parasite

Topical agents can be applied to clothing especially the seams, to prevent re infestation eg permethrin spray

Medication treatment for heavy infection of body lice would include a shampoo or lotion such as permethrin shampoo or lindane shampoo

These may be over the counter in some pharmacies.

With many persons with body lice only (no head lice or pubic lice), only treatment of clothes and linens may be needed.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Body Lice

Brief Answer: If body lice only then mainly linens and clothes Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic Lice is caused by a type of parasite that live on the body. They can also be in the hair or in the genitalia region. Treatment varies slightly depending on if the infection is on the body, in the hair or in the genitalia. It is not related to fungal infection and would not respond to diflucan or any other antifungal. Treatment of lice has two phases : (a)medication and (b) environmental control Body lice may live on the clothes so the main treatment involves clothing and bed linens- laundering in very hot water, ironing with a hot iron or dry cleaning in a hot dryer to kill the parasite Topical agents can be applied to clothing especially the seams, to prevent re infestation eg permethrin spray Medication treatment for heavy infection of body lice would include a shampoo or lotion such as permethrin shampoo or lindane shampoo These may be over the counter in some pharmacies. With many persons with body lice only (no head lice or pubic lice), only treatment of clothes and linens may be needed. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions