Do men get head lice?

The short answer is Yes, however they do tend to get them less than women. The main reason for this is because they tend to have short hair, which means that head lice get fewer chances of being able to crawl over with hair to hair contact.

Female lice crawl down longer hair and wait patiently for up to two hours to move over onto another host when hair to hair contact is made. Clearly dads are always more susceptible to getting head lice than men without children, as there is more chance of having hair to hair contact when hugging, cuddling and even tell little ones a bedtime story.

You may have read on the internet that head lice do not like testosterone, this is not true, head lice have no preferences, they are genetically programmed to colonize and to survive they will feed on human blood no matter what the sex of the host it.

In the NitNOT clinic we screen and treat many dads, but saying that for every dad we treat we would treat at least ten mums if not more. Apart from mums having longer hair, mums (not always) but the majority of the time try to treat their children and end up getting head lice themselves.

The one thing that is certain is that head lice will quickly infect a family that is close and loving. There should be no shame or embarrassment

about getting head lice, just as you would not be embarrassed if you picked up a cold, runny nose or even chicken pox. But head lice are the last taboo at the school gate which is a shame as not letting schools and other parents know means that they spread easier.


67a Marlowes Court

Hemel Hempstead

HP1 1LE 

Call : 01442 388879 


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