So you are going bald, but trying to look on the bright side, right? You make a list of all the positives: no wasting time in the morning with hairstyling, less money spent on products, no more hat head, no dandruff, and of course, no head lice.
Well, you may not be so lucky. You don’t have to worry about the styling, the hat head, or the typical head lice, but you might still have dandruff and there are other crawling creatures that could attack your bald scalp.
There are several different types of lice: head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis), body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis), and pubic lice (Pthirus pubis). Head lice are the most common of all lice and are often seen in the heads of schoolchildren. Pubic lice are often referred to as “crabs” and body lice are known as “the cooties.” Crabs are frequently spread by sexual contact and body lice are most often found in people who don’t wash or change clothes often. In the ER, we often see homeless patients who are unfortunately infested with body lice.
Head lice probably won’t have anything to grab onto on the bald head, but body lice might spread to affect a bald head. Scabies is another creepy crawler that is often confused with body lice. Scabies is an infestation of the skin with the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei. These mites are much tinier than lice. You can get scabies from direct contact with a person already infested with scabies. Infestation can also occur from sharing clothing, towels, or bedding.
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"Can bald men get lice?" was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 5:31 am.