Head Lice: What Parents Should Know

1. Head Lice: What Parents Should Know Spotting a tiny, white speck in your child's hair is enough to make many parents panic. Sure, head lice score high on the yuck factor, but they usually don't cause serious disease. Here you'll find all the information you need to get a lice infestation under control

2. What Are Head Lice? Head lice are tiny six-legged insects that cling to the scalp and neck and feed on human blood. Each louse is about the size of a sesame seed and can be hard to spot. Lice eggs, called nits, are glued onto hairs near the scalp and can be even harder to see.

3. Who Gets Head Lice? Head lice are most common in young children attending day care, preschool, or elementary school. Children of this age often play together closely and with more hair-to-hair contact, and they may share brushes, hats, hair clips, and the like. Adults who live with children also have a higher risk of getting head lice

4. How Head Lice Spread Lice usually spread through direct head-to-head contact that allows the pests to crawl from one person's hair into another's. Lice can also survive for a short period on clothing or other personal items, so a shared hairbrush can help a louse find a new host. Lice cannot jump or fly from one person to another.

5. How to Spot Head Lice Although lice and their nits are small, they are visible to the naked eye. Head lice can be white, brown, or dark gray. They are most often found in the hair at the back of the neck or behind the ears. The nits are round or oval specks that are tightly glued to hairs near the scalp. If you try to slide the nits off, they won't budge. Recent research suggests combing through wet hair is an ideal way to spot an infestation.

6. Symptoms of Head Lice Spotting a live louse is often the only sign of an infestation. Nits alone doesn't confirm an infestation. In many children, head lice don't cause any discomfort. When symptoms do happen, the most common problem is itching that may start weeks or even months after the lice move in.

7. Head Lice Allergies Itching from lice is caused by an allergic reaction to their bites. Scratching may lead to sores or raw skin on the scalp. Although uncommon, sores related to scratching can become infected by skin bacteria. Call a doctor promptly if the skin becomes red, swollen, or painful; or the lymph nodes in the neck become tender. These may be signs of a skin infection

8. If You Suspect Head Lice Head lice will not go away on their own. If you suspect your child has an infestation, there are several steps you should take right away. Take your child to the clinic to confirm the diagnosis. Notify your child's day care or school so other students can be checked. Examine all other members of the household for signs of lice. Finally, treat everyone who's infected at the same time.

9. Getting Rid of Lice You can find lice-killing treatments over the counter. They are made from extracts of chrysanthemums or a synthetic version that is similar. They are considered safe, but they may not be recommended for young children. These products kill live lice but not nits. Follow instructions on the label carefully regarding how long the medication should be left on the hair and how it should be washed off. A second treatment may be needed 9 to 10 days later. If two treatments don't do the job, see your doctor for stronger medication.

10. Ridding Your Home of Lice Although lice don't survive long on bedding, it's best to wash the sheets of anyone being treated for lice. Clothing worn in the past 48 hours should also be washed in hot water. While parents are sometimes told to clean and quarantine all of a child's stuffed animals, experts say this is not necessary. If your child sleeps with a favorite plush toy, put it in a hot dryer for 20 minutes. That should kill any lice

11. Home Remedies for Head Lice Some parents claim mayonnaise, white vinegar, or tea tree oil, or olive oil are effective natural remedies for head lice. Mayonnaise & olive oil is said to smother lice if it's applied thickly and kept on overnight under a shower cap. Vinegar is rumored to dissolve the glue that keeps nits stuck to the hair. Many parent have tried these remedies and swear by them.

12. Fine-Toothed Combs Using a fine-toothed comb also helps. This comb has teeth fine enough to pull out lice and their nits. It worked for the ancient Egyptians -- nit combs have been found in their tombs. The drawback is that it takes time and patience to comb every last nit out of a child's hair. It may be more effective to comb the hair after treating with a medicated shampoo to get rid of any stragglers.

13. Head Lice Myths Head lice are not a scourge of the lower classes, nor a sign of poor hygiene. They affect children across all levels of income, social class, and cleanliness. The bugs can survive underwater for up to 2 hours, so kids who bathe regularly are just as vulnerable. The good news is lice don't carry diseases.

14. Guarding Against Head Lice If you have young children, there's unfortunately very little you can do to ward off head lice. Kids will be kids, and when they put their heads together, lice get a ticket to ride. Your best defense is to examine your child's hair and scalp regularly so you can catch an infestation early. Prompt treatment will help prevent the bugs from spreading to the rest of the family.

15. Facts of head lice…. Fact…. Head lice do not carry or transmit diseases They have been found on Mummies in Egypt and it’s said that Cleopatra even had her very own, solid gold comb They do not live on pets such as cats or dogs Head lice are brown or greyish looking wingless insects They are about the size of a sesame seed Head lice are human parasites and require human blood to survive They feed on human blood 3-4 times a daily Head lice eggs (nits) are small, brown greyish-white, oval shape that are glued at an angle to the side of the hair shaft Head lice cannot live off the human host for more than 24 hours Females can lay up to 100-150 eggs and require just on mating to be fertilized They are able to reproduce after approximately 28 days and live eggs hatch in 7-10 days in warm weather and up to 30 days during cooler weather. Head Lice live on a host for approximately 60 days, 30 of which can be egg laying days Eggs found further than 1-2 cm from the scalp are usually empty cases that remain attached to the hair Head lice are an increasing problem because the lice are developing resistance to the traditional pesticide products on the market for this reason parents are turning to natural remedies which are not only more effective, but safer for the health of their children Lice do not drop dead as soon as a treatment touches them, they can live for a couple of hours after a treatment has been applied so don’t be alarmed if they move after you remove them from the hair.

16. Myths of head lice…. Myths.. Head lice live in hats and classroom carpets – it is highly unlikely for them to spread through these means as they will not leave their life source to go to an inhospitable foreign environment. You need to clean the house from top to bottom – This is a waste of your time and cold be better spent removing live lice and eggs They jump from head to head – Head lice cannot hop, jump or fly. They swing and climb onto the hair and move to the scalp to feed. Head lice like clean hair best – Clean hair tends to have more flufflyflyaway’s, which are useful for the louse to use when transferring from person to person but it makes no difference to them. If you see a child scratching their head they must have head lice- head lice can often make the scalp itchy but it is possible to have them with out any symptoms. Only dirty people get head lice – head lice don’t distinguish between clean and dirty hair Only kids get head lice – Head lice can be caught by anyone. Pre-school and primary-school aged children and their families are infested most often. Girls get head lice more often than boys and women more often than men due to length of hair and type of play. Keeping your head underwater kills head lice – head lice cannot be washed away or drowned, they can actually survive under water for up to two hours! You cant prevent head lice – head lice can be prevented by regular checking of your child’s hair.