The head louse is a small, wingless parasitic bug that lives among human hairs and feeds on tiny quantities of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are a really common problem, specifically for kids. They're contagious, irritating, and sometimes tough to eliminate.
However while they're frustrating to handle, lice aren't hazardous. They don't spread out illness, although their bites can make a kid's scalp scratchy and irritated, and scratching can lead to infection.
It's finest to deal with head lice rapidly once they're found due to the fact that they can spread out easily from person to person.
Signs of Head Lice
They're extremely small, lice can be seen by the naked eye. Here are things to try to find:
Lice eggs (called nits). Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature level is ideal for keeping warm up until they hatch.
Unless the problem is heavy, it's more common to see nits in a kid'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.
Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). If head lice is not dealt with, this process repeats itself about every 3 weeks.
With lice bites come itching and scratching. The itching might not always start right away-- that depends on how delicate a child's skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to begin scratching.
For some kids, the inflammation is moderate; for others, a more bothersome rash might develop. If your doctor believes this is the case, he or she may deal with the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your kid's hair into small areas and checking for lice and nits with a fine-tooth comb on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the nape of the neck (it's uncommon for them to be found on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and intense light might help. It can be hard to find a nymph or adult louse-- typically, there aren't many of them and they move quickly.
See your medical professional if your kid is constantly scratching his/her head or complains of a scratchy scalp that won't go away. The physician should have the ability 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.
Be sure to examine with your child's school nurse or child care center director to see if other kids have just recently been treated for lice. If you find that your kid click now does, indeed, have lice or nits, call the staff at the school and child care center to let them know.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are extremely contagious and can spread quickly from person to person, particularly in group settings (like schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).
Though they can't fly or leap, these tiny parasites have actually specially adapted claws that let them crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread generally through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothes, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats also 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 items.
And you might question if Fido or Fluffy may be capturing the bugs and passing them on to your family. However felt confident that pets can't catch head lice and pass them on to individuals or the other way around.
Treatment
Your physician can advise a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or cream to eliminate the lice. These may be over the counter (OTC) or prescription medications, depending upon what treatments have already been attempted. Medicated lice treatments generally kill the lice, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop. For very resistant lice, an oral medication (medication taken by mouth) might be recommended.
Make sure that the medicine is safe for your kid's age. While non-prescription 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 utilized correctly or if the lice are resistant to it. After treatment, your physician might recommend combing the nits with a fine-tooth comb and likewise may recommend 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, use a fine-tooth comb on your kid's wet, 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 because it temporarily incapacitates the lice and the conditioner makes it simpler to get a comb through the hair.
There's no need to purchase electronic combs that declare to kill lice or make nits easier to remove. You also don't require to purchase unique vinegar options to use to the scalp before picking nits.
Wet combing is also an alternative to pesticide treatments in older kids. Though petroleum jelly, mayonnaise, or olive oil are in some cases utilized in an effort to suffocate head lice, these treatments might not work. If medicine doesn't work and you wish to attempt these approaches, talk with your medical professional initially.
Make sure you remove nits carefully every week for at least 3 weeks in a row, and view your child 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