The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives in human hairs and eats tiny amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are a very typical issue, particularly for kids. They're contagious, irritating, and sometimes tough to eliminate.
However while they're annoying to deal with, lice aren't unsafe. They don't spread out illness, although their bites can make a child's scalp itchy and inflamed, and scratching can cause infection.
It's best to treat head lice rapidly when they're found since they can spread quickly from person to person.
Indications of Head Lice
Although they're very little, lice can be seen by the naked eye. Here are things to search for:
Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts near the scalp, where the temperature is ideal for keeping warm up until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can't be removed by brushing or shaking them off.
Unless the problem is heavy, it's more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp. Lice eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks after they're laid. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear and remains securely attached to the hair shaft. This is when it's simplest to find them, as the hair is growing longer and the egg shell is moving far from the scalp.
Adult lice and nymphs (child lice). The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller sized and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. If head lice is not treated, this process repeats itself about every 3 weeks. The majority of lice feed on blood numerous times a day, and they can endure as much as 2 days off the scalp.
Scratching. With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is in fact due to a response to the saliva of lice. The itching may not always begin right away-- that depends on how sensitive a child's skin is to the lice. It can often take weeks for kids with lice to begin scratching. They may complain, however, of things moving on or tickling their heads.
For some kids, the inflammation is mild; for others, a more irritating rash might develop. If your doctor believes this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You might have the ability to see the lice or nits by parting your child's hair into little areas and checking for lice and nits with a fine-tooth comb on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the neck of the neck (it's uncommon for them to be found on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and bright light might help. It can be difficult to find a nymph or adult louse-- typically, there aren't numerous of them and they move quickly.
See your physician if your child is constantly scratching his/her head or experiences an itchy scalp that will not go away. The doctor must be able to tell you if your kid is infested with lice and requires to be dealt with. Not all kids have the classic signs of head lice and some can be symptom-free.
Likewise be sure to talk to your child's school nurse or childcare center director to see if other kids have actually recently been dealt with for lice. If you find that your child does, undoubtedly, have lice or nits, contact the personnel at the school and child care center to let them know. Learn what their return policy is. Most normally allow kids to return after one topical treatment has actually been completed.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are highly infectious and can spread rapidly from person to person, particularly in group settings (like schools, child care centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).
Though they can't fly or jump, these small parasites have specifically adapted claws that let them crawl and stick strongly to hair. They spread primarily through head-to-head contact, however sharing clothes, bed linens, combs, brushes, and learn more here hats likewise can pass them along. Kids are most vulnerable to catching lice since they tend to have close physical contact with each other and share individual products.
And you may wonder if Fido or Fluffy might be capturing the pests and passing them on to your household. However rest assured that pets can't capture head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.
Treatment
Your medical professional can suggest a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to eliminate the lice. These may be non-prescription (OTC) or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have already been tried. Medicated lice treatments typically kill the lice, but it might take a couple of days for the itching to stop. For very resistant lice, an oral medication (medicine taken by mouth) might be recommended.
Make sure that the medicine is safe for your kid's age. While non-prescription hair shampoos are safe for kids as young as 2 months, other medicines are only safe for kids 2 years and older.
Treatment might be not successful if the medication is not used correctly or if the lice are resistant to it. After treatment, your physician might recommend combing the nits with a fine-tooth comb and also may suggest duplicating treatment in 7 to 10 days to eliminate any freshly hatched nits.
Removing By Hand
If your child is 2 months old or younger, you must not utilize medicated lice treatments. You'll require to get rid of the nits and lice by hand.
To remove lice and nits by hand, utilize a fine-tooth comb on your kid's damp, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for 3 weeks after the last live louse was seen. Moistening the hair ahead of time is advised due to the fact that it momentarily immobilizes the lice and the conditioner makes it easier to get a comb through the hair.
There's no need to buy electronic combs that declare to eliminate lice or make nits much easier to get rid of. No research studies have actually been done to support these claims. You likewise don't need to buy special vinegar solutions to apply to the scalp before picking nits. Good old-fashioned water works just fine.
Wet combing is also an option to pesticide treatments in older kids. Though petroleum jelly, mayo, or olive oil are sometimes used in an attempt to suffocate head lice, these treatments may not work. If medicine doesn't work and you want to try these methods, talk to your doctor.
Make sure you remove nits carefully every week for at least 3 weeks in a row, and view your kid carefully to see if any live lice return.
For more information, contact:
Lice Removal Los Angeles Care
777 S Alameda St #29
Los Angeles, CA 90021
310-935-1644