Head Lice Treatment

Head lice is a common problem, especially when kids are in group settings, such as school, sleepovers and daycare centers. It is a condition that is highly contagious due to the fact that the lice have claws, which enable them to crawl from one person's head to another. They are also spread when an infected person shares clothing or bedding with someone in his family. Head lice can multiply quickly, usually within a week or two, which is why treating them as soon as possible is so important.

Signs of Lice

• The first sign that your child may require treatment for head lice is itching. The lice survive by biting and feeding off the blood of the person they are attached to. Just as flea and mosquito bites cause itching, lice bites have the same effect. If the itching becomes too severe, your child may develop sores, which can open and become infected. The extent of the irritation your child experiences will vary depending on how sensitive his skin is.

Identification

• Before treating your child, you want to be sure head lice is what you need to treat them for. The nits, or eggs, will be attached to the shaft of the hair and are extremely small. Their color can be brown, tan or yellow before they hatch, and, after hatching, their shell will be white or nearly clear. They may resemble dandruff but will not simply shake off the hair. An adult louse will be no larger than the size of a sesame seed, and their color is usually gray or tan.

Treatment

• To treat head lice, you can purchase medicated shampoos, lotions or creams, which are available over-the-counter, or you can get a prescription from your doctor. These medications are designed to kill both the lice and the eggs to help prevent reinfestation. Once you have completed the treatment, comb the nits out using a fine-tooth comb or the comb provided with the medication. It is always a good idea to repeat the treatment in seven days in case any new eggs have hatched. For kids who are 2 and under, the medicated shampoos are too strong to be used on their scalps. In these instances, wet their hair and run conditioner through it. Then take a fine-tooth comb and pick the nits out. Repeat this process with them every three days over the course of two weeks until there is no sign of nits or lice.

Prevention/Solution

• Part of the treatment process is to treat other family members and household items as well. This will ensure that your home is completely lice-free. Once you have treated the infected person, treat the other members of your home. Next you will take all bedding and clothing and wash them in hot water, followed by a hot cycle in your dryer. Any clothing, bedding, and stuffed animals that cannot be washed need to be placed in an airtight plastic bag for a period of at least two weeks; lice can live for two days without human contact, and this will ensure they cannot reproduce or spread. In addition, thoroughly vacuum all the carpets and fabric in both your home and vehicles.

Misconceptions

• Many believe that having head lice is a symbol of uncleanliness, but this is untrue. In fact, lice have a tendency to stick to clean hair faster than hair that is unkempt. Also, there are some who believe that items such as mayonnaise, olive oil and petroleum jelly are effective treatments for head lice. They believe that these items suffocate the lice; however, these have not been proven effective and should not be used in place of the medicated shampoos on the market.