Therapeutic target
Removal of the lice and the nits (eggs of the head louse).
Therapy recommendations
- Optimal therapy: combination of chemical, mechanical and physical principles of action.
- Safe killing of nits is not given by pediculocides (group of active substances for pharmacological therapy of head lice infestation; usually pyrethroids and organophosphates; very neurotoxic). Therefore, the application should be repeated after eight to ten days.
- In pregnancy, lactation, chrysammal allergy, multiple hypersensitivity to chemical substances should be purely mechanical therapy with combing out with a lice comb.
- A safe non-toxic form of therapy is treatment with dimeticone, which acts purely physically. (Means of first choice according to the German Society for Children and Adolescent Medicine)Efficacy: 70-97%. A second treatment after eight to ten days is not necessary with dimeticone, because they have a high effect against adult lice as well as on eggs.
- Prophylaxis: extract from coconut oil.
- See also under “Further therapy”.
The following treatment regimen is recommended by the Robert Koch Institute:
- Day 1 – Treatment with the insecticide; comb out wet with the lice comb.
- Day 5 – comb out wet with the lice comb.
- Day 8, 9 or 10 – treatment with the insecticide.
- Day 13 – comb out wet with the lice comb.
- Day 17 – comb out wet with the lice comb, if necessary.
