Dandruff or lice?
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I can't say for sure without looking, but I'll tell you a few things to help you figure this out. I taught school so I've seen lice before. There don't have to be crawling lice present for someone to need treatment. Usually, you will find at least a few living, crawling lice. Their favorite places are behind the ears and at the base of the hairline at the back of the neck. Many kids will show signs of having a really itchy head-lots of scratching. If you see something on your brother's hair, try to slide it off the hair its on. Dandruff will come off easily, but a nit will actually cling to the hair. There may not be any bugs in sight, but keep an eye out. Remember, those eggs hatch. You can buy a treatment kit at any pharmacy, but if he has open sores I would hesitate to use without a more medical opinion. I also can tell you that if someone has head lice, the whole house needs to be treated...beds, pillows, carpet, combs, brushes stuffed animals etc. They spread easily. You can read all about treatment in a kit. Lice like clean or dirty hair. I have never known an African American to have head lice. Oh, and the bleeding may also be from lots of scratching. I've seen kids with scabs from scratching at head lice.
Probably dandruff causing white flakes..He also has a dry scalp so should not be picked..Try a medicated anti dandruff shampoo.
If you see no insects, your brother probably has a form of severe dandruff called Psoriasis. The good part about that is that it is treatable, and he needs to be seen by a dermatologist to get proper treatment.
Danduff almost certainly. Nits (the lice eggs) look white but there is no way! they flake off. They are attached to the actual hairs, not the scalp and are really difficult to get off. And as for the lice - they look like definate little insects with legs and all.
Go to your pharmacy (drugstore?) and show them. The staff should be able to advise you.
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