Lice Eggs vs. Dandruff: How to Know What’s Really Affecting Your Scalp

Our scalp is covered with a lot of hair that becomes a home of various skin-related issues. Even bald people face some scalp-related problems. Among those, the most common are dandruff and lice infestation.

Both conditions are completely different, have distinct symptoms, and need separate treatments. Still, some people get confused when they face one of them; Confused with the identification and diagnosis of a scalp issue.

Some common symptoms make it difficult to differentiate both. However, the information about lice eggs vs dandruff will help you identify an existing condition and get treatment accordingly.

Lice Eggs (Nits)

It is an insect that lives on our scalp and feeds on blood. If blood is scarce, the lice will die soon. Despite, a shorter lifespan, their multiplication and reproduction rates are high.

So, if you get head lice and do nothing to remove them from your scalp even after a month, you will end up inhabiting your scalp with a lot of lice and their eggs.

This can cause several issues. Their symptoms include:

• Crawling sensation on the scalp
• Spotting lice and their eggs
• Intense Itching

Lice can be transmitted through clothes, bodily contact, and using items (like a comb) of the affected person.

This means it is contagious, and the person must be careful about its spread. If the lice is living outside of a human body, like on a comb, it will not survive for long because it only feeds on blood. Without blood, it will die soon.

Treatment

Lice infestations can be cured with a blend of careful practices and medical products. First, a person must wash his/her hair enough to keep the scalp clean.

Use a fine-toothed comb to detangle hair. This will help remove lice and their eggs from your scalp. Daily comb your hair.

Use an essential oil if your hair is curly or dry. Daily combing for some days will significantly reduce lice infestation. For proper treatment, use anti-lice shampoos and conditioners.

Dandruff

This scalp condition affects half of the world’s population at least once in their life. This condition is so common that everyone is familiar with the white flakes that it causes, even if the person is directly not affected.

Malassezia is at the top of the list of common causes of dandruff. When it starts growing quickly, it breaks down sebum and leaves unsaturated fatty acids behind. The skin cell renewal also gets disturbed, which leads to dead skin cell buildup.

These scenarios then show these symptoms:

• Small but visible flakes on the scalp
• Scaly and greasy patches on the skin
• Excessive oil buildup

The scalp might be itchy, but it could be referred to as a case of Seborrheic Dermatitis.

Treatment

An anti-dandruff shampoo is used to treat dandruff. Even for severe cases, this medicated anti-dandruff shampoo is generally enough. There is no need to look for anything after this product. Still, you must follow preventive measures to avoid flare-ups.

So, how to differentiate between both?

You can consider a few factors when differentiating between both scalp conditions. These are described below.

Appearance

Dandruff flakes are irregular in shape. They are often white (yellow flakes indicate Seborrheic Dermatitis) and greasy.

They could be:

• Circled
• Oval
• irregular

in shape.

Lice eggs are teardrop-shaped and could be:

• White
• Grey
• Brow
• Dark-grey
• Yellow

These are usually smaller than dandruff flakes.

Location

Dandruff flakes could appear all over the scalp, beard, mustaches, and eyebrows. Also, the flakes are located on the skin. Like in the case of scalp dandruff, the flakes will be located on the scalp skin. They often fall on the shoulder.

In lice infestation, eggs are stuck on the hair shaft. Eggs are attached with a sticky glue-like material. This helps lice eggs stay on the hair until they hatch. Dandruff flakes are easy, while nits are difficult to pull off.

Symptoms

It will be easy to identify your scalp problem by looking at the overall symptoms. Dandruff often causes a flaky scalp with oily and greasy patches. The flakes often fall on the shoulder and do not cause trouble. In short, it is a harmless condition and is easily treatable.

Lice can lead to intense itching and also small pores due to sucking blood. Also, the lice will be visible, and you will be able to feel the sensation of something crawling on your scalp.

These are some easy and crucial steps to figure out what condition you are dealing with. Normally, lice infestation can be diagnosed after combing the scalp enough. If there are lice in your scalp, they will appear on the comb.

On the other hand, dandruff just causes flake formation and excessive oil. Consider their key differences and get the appropriate treatment.