Parasitic Infectious Disease

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At SFFHRC, we are dedicated to continue enhancing primary care, community health, and advancing clinical research. Your generous contributions help us:

• Provide Rapid Head Lice Removal and Clinical Trials for our community at large.
• Strengthen Community Health Initiatives: Promoting wellness and preventive care in our immigrant and native communities.
• Advance Clinical Research: Pioneering new treatments through research and improving patient outcomes in sickness and health.

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Trusted Care for Head Lice Treatment and Removal

South Florida Family Health and Research Centers, Lice Cleanique; medical staff members are always up-to-date on the latest and most effective over-the-counter and prescription medications and removal procedures available. Head Lice Treatment Specialist educate patients in the safest and most reliable ways to control and prevent recurring head lice problems; aka Super Lice.

Proper screening and swift intervention is the key to head lice control. Wide-spread “No Nit” policies at many public and private schools could keep your child at home. Urgent same-day or next morning appointments are available. Children and adults may quickly return to their classes or activities after a quick visit at our health clinic.

One call to South Florida Family Health and Research Centers is all you need to have you and or your family free of head lice.

South Florida Family Health and Research Centers, Lice Cleanique/ Lice Source Services is South Florida’s established Referral Source for Schools and Child Care Facilities.

Interested in Advancing the Study, Biology, and Treatment of Head Lice?

You may qualify for a current clinical research study. Call our Head Lice Research Center in Miami (305) 387-0051 for information on receiving treatment at no cost including compensation for time and travel.

Head Lice Removal and What to Look For:

What are head lice?

Head lice are parasitic insects that live off blood and use humans as their hosts. If left unchecked, they can cause problems ranging from simple irritation to infections. The head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is a tiny wingless insect of the order Psocodea and is an ectoparasite – a parasite that lives on the skin but not in the body.

The head louse spends its whole life cycle living and feeding off its human hosts, of any gender, age or race and with any hair type. It is roughly 2-3 mm long, with six legs and a flat hard exoskeleton. Its legs have tiny claws on the end, allowing it to dig through hair follicles and grip the host. Typically an active case of head lice is found on the base of hair shafts on the scalp and nape of the neck. They range in color (depending on their age, color of host’s hair and after feeding) from a clear or transparent color to tan/brown.

What Does Lice Look Like?

Nits, which are lice eggs, attach to the hair and have an incubation period of 6 – 12 days. Female lice can lay 3 – 6 eggs per day and have a lifespan of about 42 days. Using these numbers, you can see that it doesn’t take long for a case to become severe.

There are three stages of the Head Lice Life Cycle:

• Nit
• Nymph
• Adult

Nits are louse – lice eggs. The keratinous (protein) shells are oval in shape, about 1/16″ long and usually light whitish grey when they are first laid by the female louse.  In addition, the nits turn brownish, pending host hair color, before they hatch. The female louse attaches nits to the hair shaft by cementing them with glycoprotein. Nits are laid and covered by a shell-like (chitinous) sheath, which surrounds both the nit and the attached hair shaft. Newly laid nits are usually found about 1/2-inch from the scalp. Therefore, older nits are found further down the hair shafts. The female louse lays about 3-6 nits per day. Nits hatch within 7-12 days after being laid.

Nymphs also called “instars” are baby louse that hatch from nits. Nymphs are the size of a safety-pin head at birth, and will molt 3 times before becoming adults. The Nymph molting process takes about 9 – 12 days after hatching. When nymphs first hatch they are transparent in color – until they feed on the scalp for blood. The louse will not survive off the host and will expire in 24 hours; head lice must feed every few hours.

Adult head lice are about the size of a sesame seed and are grayish tan in color. The average life span on the host is 30 to 42 days. Visually distinguish adult lice gender at the posterior portion (rear end) with female lice having an inverted “V” shape and the male louse’s posterior end portion is rounded in shape in addition the adult female lice are 20% larger than males.

Head Lice Pictures – Micro Images Recorded at
Lice Cleanique/ Lice Source Services Research Centers Lab

Communicable Disease: Head Lice, How Quickly Head Lice Spreads from Person to Person

Head lice spread very easily through direct head-to-head/hair-to-hair contact. Common examples are hugging or leaning heads together;  other examples are at home and in public settings, prolonged and even brief close encounters. Possible transfer is by sharing of combs, brushes, hair accessories, hats, scarves, helmets and towels or even fabric chairs or pillows.

For more information, please call one of our Healthcare clinics 954-791-0711 or 305-387-0051. If we are not in your area and you have questions about head lice treatment and lice removal, do not let it go unchecked. Your local health department, pharmacist, PCP or your health care provider will be able to assist you.