Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Is it really lice OR hair casts?


I've been at war with my daughter's hair for shy of 6 years now. Ever since she was 2 and in day care the doctors pegged her for having hair lice. Over the past 6 years she's been treated with numerous posionous lice treatments, and the "nit" looking things keep coming back! She has "never" had itching/redness of the scalp or any live louse. The "nit" looking things are ALL over her head but are ONLY located in the top section of her head no where else.The "nits" also move up and down the hair shaft, and if you pull one off and run it between your fingers, it completely breaks up.  If it's been this many years why hasn't myself or my husband gotten lice? I know it's very easy to spread it, so why not us? Is it really lice? My daughter is half american half Indian (Asian decent) I read some where that being of Asian decent is sometimes a factor in what you call hair casts. Please, please help me. We live in a small town...the doctors say it's lice, but we don't think so. How can we be sure of what it is? Thank you so much.
~ Amanda Salisbury, MD
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I believe what we all have is likely caused by Cheyletiella or Neocheyletiella mites.  Likely from a rabbit, dog, or cat.  I have struggled with these for three years now.  Family thinks I'm making mountains out of molehills, and that i am overly sensitive.  I've done so much research, i probably know more than most people would ever want to know about parasitic mites.  It all started when my stepson's mother got an indoor pet rabbit as an "emotional support animal".  I see the same white sand on my family members, my eyes feel like there is sand constantly being sprinkled in them, my skin is insanely dry, despite copious amounts of moisturizing, i feel them moving around my scalp an pinpricks all over, mostly my scalp, ears, nose, and lower legs and feet.  I purchased a microscope to look at the "sand" and dry skin, and have found they are tiny light orange mites.  The orange mites are hard to find as they are buried in loads of skin flakes, but after spraying myself and my dog with topical ivermectin (intended for cattle and sheep), you will find them.  The ivermectin causes them to move which you can definately feel as it basically makes them unable to stop moving and thus eventually die.  They eat keratin, which is in skin, hair and nails.  I am now giving my dog oral iver mectin every week and she has much less itching and her extreme "dandruff" is receding.  Her nails were crumbly, split and weak, but with treatment are much healthier and stronger and look more normal under the microscope.  I also notice less sand in my eyes and ears, less pin prics and less itchiness myself.  I have been treating her for 3 weeks so far, but it can take months of treatment to get rid of them.  My biggest problem now is the constant re-infestation from my 12 year old stepson, who carries the mites into our house every week from his mother's apartment.  The rabbit lives in his bedroom, sleeps under or on his bed at his mother's.  She is in denial and threatened to not allow him to come stay with us when i alerted her to the possibility that her rabbit is probobly an asymptomatic carrier of these mites.  There is A LOT of misinformation about these mites on the internet and with veterinarians.   I have yet to find a vet that knows anything about these mites, been to three, but can't afford any more.  This is one of the best articles i have found on the subject.  Look up "what's eating you? Cheyletiella Mites" by HH Reynolds.  There is a free pdf available from the Semantic Scholar website.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
When your daughter was treated for lice,it would have been expected to treat the entire family as a group.Sure, hair casts are look alike of nits.So best to treat as family, and see whether it recurs.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Dermatology Community

Top Dermatology Answerers
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Learn to identify and prevent bites from summer’s most common pests.
Doctors argue for legislation to curb this dangerous teen trend in the latest Missouri Medicine report.
10 ways to keep your skin healthy all winter long
How to get rid of lumpy fat on your arms, hips, thighs and bottom
Diet “do’s” and “don’ts” for healthy, radiant skin.
Images of rashes caused by common skin conditions