Have Bugs In Scalp And Neck. Suggestions?

Posted on Fri, 5 Jul 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 5 Jul 2013 Answered on

Fri, 26 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I think I have bugs in my scalp and neck. I cant catch them butr they look like coffee grounds and are very tiny. I cant figure out where they come from. The bed? My scalp and neck itrch somrhing fierce.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rahul Kumar (6 hours later)

Hello,
Thanks for the query. You might be suffering from head louse. They have a similar appearance as mentioned by you.
There bugs can be easily removed by application of permethrin shampoo. This shampoo is available over the counter. You need to wet your hair and apply this shampoo and keep it as such for 5 min, following this you should wash your hair.
Head louse stays only on body and clothes, they dont live on bed. Please wash all your clothes in boiling water. This will prevent re infection. Let me know if you have any other doubts. Thank you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar