This article has pictures of what head lice look like.
You will learn how to tell if your child has live lice or just lice eggs.
Once you know for sure that your child has lice, you could get treatment.
Illustration by Joules Garcia for Verywell Health
Lice eggs are callednits.
They are very tinyabout the size of a knot in a strand of thread.
They are oval-shaped, usually a yellowish-white color, and are firmly attached to the sides of hair shafts.
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They can easily be confused with dandruff, scabs, or even droplets of hair spray.
However, other people use “nits” to refer to both viable lice eggs and empty egg casings.
Lice have a lifespan of three to four weeks.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Others are dead and only have non-infective lice embryos inside.
Nits that are close to your child’s scalp are the most likely to be infective.
They’re also the ones that are thought to hatch into live lice.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Can My Child Go to School if They Have Lice?
The nymphs look the same as the adult lice, but they are smaller.
A nymph is around the size of a pinhead.
arlindo71 / Getty Images
The picture above shows a nymph compared to an egg and an adult louse.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
What Lice Looks Like in the Hair
This picture shows a child with a head lice infestation.
Live lice can be difficult to spot.
Being able to identify head lice will also help you make an informed choice about treatment.
What Adult Lice Look Like
This is an up-close picture of an adult head louse.
Mature head lice are about the size of a sesame seed.
you’re free to clearly see the six legs that a louse has.
Knowing what head lice look like will also help you tell distinguish them from other conditions that kids get.
If you spot lice eggs in your child’s hair, go ahead and pick them out.
You may need to repeat these steps until all the lice are gone.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).About head lice.
Devore CD, Schutze GE.Head lice.Pediatrics.
2015;135(5):e1355-e1365.
doi:10.1542/peds.2015-0746
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment of head lice.
