Visual checking for head lice
If you are unable to check for head lice using the combing method or lack confidence in doing the nit combing for the first time, your pharmacist may be able to help. However, a visual detection process is never as effective as nit combing.
Your pharmacist should still use protective gloves and examine the scalp under strong light using a magnifying glass, if needed. This method is less effective than combing as if there are only one or two lice present they may be missed. Only more obvious head lice infestations will be detected this way.
Your pharmacist will be looking for live lice and nits as part of their evidence of head lice infestation. It is hard to discern visually whether a nit is an incubating nymph or an old egg cast. However, viable eggs are laid close to the scalp so that the nymph can feed straight away. Any egg casts (nits) more than 1 inch away from the scalp are signs of an old infestation. Eggs not laid near to the scalp are unlikely to hatch as they will not derive enough heat to incubate without heat from the scalp (the only exception to this being warm climates). In winter, viable eggs would only be laid near the scalp. During a hot summer there may be viable eggs further along the hair shaft.
How a nit looks is another clue to whether it is viable or not. Empty egg cases tend to appear much whiter and dull also lacking transparency. A viable nit that has an unhatched of dead nymph in it will appear darker and more translucent. Visual examination makes this quite difficult to discern. Often examination under a microscope is the best way to be sure.
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