head Lice

Head Lice


The bane of many parents, the head louse is a tiny, wingless insect that lives among parasitic drawn human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood from the scalp. Although they may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) is a very common problem, especially for children aged 3-12 years (girls more often than boys).

Lice are not dangerous and do not spread disease, but they are contagious and can just be downright annoying. Their bites cause a child's scalp to itch and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.

It is wise to treat head lice quickly once the diagnosis is made, because they can spread easily from person to person.

Signs of Head Lice
Though very small, lice can be seen with the naked eye. What you or your doctor may see your child's head through a thorough review:

Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they do not by brushing or shaking them off to be removed.

Unless the infestation is heavy, it is more common to see nits in the hair of a child than it is to live lice crawling on the scalp to see. Lice hatch within 1-2 weeks after they are laid. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear and are still firmly attached to the hair shaft. This is the stage when it is easiest to spot them, as the hair grows longer and the egg shell is further away from the scalp to move.

Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish white or brown. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after hatching. Several times, most lice feed on blood a day, but they can survive up to 2 days before the scalp.

Scratch. With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is indeed due to a response to the saliva of the lice. However, the itching may not always start right away - that depends on how sensitive your child's skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching. You can complain, though, move the things that tickle or on their heads.

Small, red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the irritation is mild, can develop for other an annoying rash. Excessive scratching can lead to a bacterial infection (the skin would be red and tender and have scabs and oozing along with swollen lymph nodes) lead. If your doctor thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with an antibiotic.

You may be able to get the lice or nits by parting your child's hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits with a fine-toothed comb on the scalp to see behind the ears and around the neck (it is rare that they be found on eyelashes or eyebrows).

A magnifying glass and bright light may help. But it can be tough to find a nymph or adult louse - often, there are not many of them, and they are able to move quickly.

Call your doctor if your child is constantly scratching his head or complains of an itchy scalp that will not go away. The doctor should be able to tell you if your child is infested with lice and needs to be treated. Not all children have the classic symptoms of head lice and can be completely symptom free.

Also be sure to see your child's school nurse or daycare director, if other children have been treated to check for lice recently. If you find that your child does not, in fact, have lice or nits, to let them know on the staff of the school and day care.

Find out what their return policy. Most children usually allow a return to a topical treatment is completed.

Lice are contagious?
Lice are highly contagious and can quickly from person to person, especially in group settings (schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities and camps).

Although they do not fly or jump, these tiny parasites have specially claws to crawl it and cling tightly to allow hair adjusted. They spread mainly through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bedding, combs, brushes, hats and can also help lead them along. Children are particularly susceptible to catching lice because they have close physical contact with each other and often share personal items tend.

And you may wonder if Fido or Fluffy may be catching the pests and passing them on to your family. But rest assured that pets can not catch head lice and pass it on to humans or vice versa.

Treatment
Your doctor can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to kill the lice. These can be over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have already been tried. Medical treatments usually kill the lice lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop. For very resistant lice, an oral medication could be prescribed.

It is important to follow the directions exactly because these products are insecticides. If too much medication - or it too often - can increase the risk of causing harm. . Follow the instructions on the label to ensure that the treatment works properly

The treatment can not be successful if the drug is not used correctly or if the lice are resistant to them. After the treatment, your doctor combing the nits with a fine tooth comb and can also recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to kill any newly hatched nits.

Removal by hand
If your child is 2 years old or younger, you should not use medical lice treatments. You must remove the nits and lice by hand.

To remove lice and nits by hand, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days was seen for 2 weeks after the last live louse with a fine tooth comb on your child wet. Wetting the hair beforehand is recommended because it temporarily immobilizes the lice and the conditioner makes it easier to get a comb through his hair.

Wet combing is also an alternative to pesticide treatments in older children. Although petroleum jelly, mayonnaise or olive oil are sometimes used in an attempt to suffocate head lice, these treatments have not been proven to be effective.

Note that head lice do not survive long if they fall off a person. So it is not necessary to have a high degree of time and money to spend rid the house of lice.

Prevent reinfestation
Here are some easy ways to get rid of the lice and their eggs, and help prevent a lice reinfestation:

Wash all linens and clothing recently worn by anyone in your home that is infested in very hot water (130 ° F [54.4 ° C]), then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes.
Have bedding, clothing and stuffed animals and plush animals that can not be washed chemically cleaned. Or put them in airtight bags for 2 weeks.
Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car).
Soak hair-care items like combs, barrettes, hair ties or bands, headbands, and brushes in alcohol or medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You can also wash them in hot water or just throw them away.
Because lice are easily passed from person to person in the same house, bedmates and infested family members will also need treatment to prevent the lice from coming back.

Dont's
In your efforts to get rid of the error, there are some things you should not do. Some don'ts of head lice treatment include:

Not with a hair dryer on your child's hair after applying any of the currently available scalp treatments because some contain flammable ingredients.
Do not use a cream rinse or shampoo / conditioner combination before lice medication.
Do not wash your child's hair for 1 to 2 days after the use of a medical treatment.
Do not use sprays or hire a pest control company to try to get rid of the lice, as they can be harmful.
Do not use the same medication more than three times on one person. If it does not seem to be working, your doctor may recommend another medication.
Do not use more than one head lice medication at a time.
Prevent lice
With head lice is not a sign of uncleanliness or poor hygiene. The pesky little bugs can be a problem for children of all ages and socioeconomic levels, no matter how often they do it - or do not - clean their hair or bathe.

However, you can help kids from getting lice to prevent - or before reinfested with lice - by taking the following precautions:

Tell kids to try to avoid head-to-head contact at school (in gym, on the playground or during sports) and while playing at home with other children.
Tell children not to share with anyone combs, brushes, hats, scarves, bandanas, ribbons, barrettes, hair ties or bands, towels, helmets, or other personal care products include whether they have lice or not.
Tell children not lie on beds, pillows, and carpets that have recently been used by someone with lice.
Every 3 or 4 days, examine members of your household who close with a person who has had contact with lice. Then treat those found to have lice or nits close to the scalp will have.

Will They Ever Gone?
How many parents know firsthand, lice infestation can be a persistent nuisance, especially in group settings. If your child still has lice and you have followed each recommendation, it could be because:

some nits were left
Your child will be exposed to someone with lice
the treatment you are using is not effective
There is no doubt that they are hard to get rid of bugs. If your child is still lice 2 weeks after the start of treatment or if your child's scalp looks infected, call your doctor.

No matter how long the problem, make sure your child is stressed that although having lice can certainly be very embarrassing, anyone can get it. It is important for children to understand that they did nothing wrong and that having lice does not make them dirty. And to assure them that can be aggravating as getting rid of the pesky insects, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Be patient and follow the advice of your physician as for keeping the bugs at bay the treatment and prevention oriented, and you will also keep you on your way, your family lice-free.