Susannah Constantine has had head lice for three years.
The 55-year-old fashion journalist has battled with the creepy-crawly infestation on and off for years, which has left her feeling "humiliated", and now has to have her barnet professionally hoovered because the wingless insects are becoming immune to standard over-the-counter treatments.
Writing for the Daily Mail newspaper, she said: "My hair is to be pig-tailed, scorched and, in a coup de théâtre, professionally ‘hoovered’ in an attempt to rid me once and for all of the lice that, around the country, are becoming ever-more resistant to standard treatments."
Although the procedure is somewhat "alarming" at first because the little critters are sucked up through the filter, Susannah feels like "an infested dog having her head scratched" after a while.
She explained: "First, Louise, my technician starts separating my hair into multiple pigtails. Then, sporting surgical gloves and special magnifying spectacles, she begins the hoovering part of the procedure. The sensation is at first alarming, but the combination of suction and the scraping of a specially fitted metal comb soon takes hold and I became like an infested dog having her head scratched. Bliss. After each section has been sucked clean she inspects the contents of a small filter. ‘Mmm,’ she murmurs. ‘Three lice, ten juveniles and lots of eggs.’ Morbidly fascinated I ask to look – and so come face to face with the opponent.
"Looking through the magnifying glasses, I see there are indeed three lice, each the size of a low-flying aircraft, a disgusting spectacle. And there are more to come."
The procedure costs "nearly £200" and 90 minutes, but she’s now nit free.
Susannah Constantine had head lice for 3 years
