Effects of newly devised plasma lice comb on human hair

A plasma device was developed showing high potential for a pesticide-free treatment of pediculosis. As a first safety assessment of the device was presented earlier, this present paper is focusing on the damage, which is introduced to the human hair during a plasma treatment for pediculosis control. Therefore, human hairs were treated repeatedly to assess the possible increasing damage developing with increasing treatment durations. To analyse the inflicted changes on human hair examinations using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS/ESCA), Scanning Nearfield optical microscopy (SNOM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were conducted, to compare the modifications of surface chemistry and mechanical alterations. The investigations revealed a mild impact on the surface chemistry (XPS/SNOM), while more distinct morphological changes on the hair surface could be observed. The authors conclude that an effect of the plasma comb device on the hair during a real-life treatment is negligible, due to the very short contact times during a standard combing procedure for pediculosis control