The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on tiny quantities of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are a very common problem, especially for kids. They're contagious, irritating, and in some cases difficult to eliminate.
But while they're annoying to handle, lice aren't dangerous. They do not spread disease, although their bites can make a child's scalp itchy and irritated, and scratching can lead to infection.
It's best to treat head lice quickly once they're discovered since they can spread easily from person to person.
Signs of Head Lice
They're very little, 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 is ideal for keeping warm until they hatch.
Unless the invasion 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.
Adult lice and nymphs (infant lice). If head lice is not treated, this process repeats itself about every 3 weeks.
With lice bites come itching and scratching. The itching might 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 start scratching.
Small red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the inflammation is mild; for others, a more bothersome rash might develop. Extreme scratching can result in a bacterial infection (this can cause inflamed lymph glands and red, tender skin that might have crusting and oozing). If your medical professional thinks this holds true, she or he may deal with the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You might be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child's hair into little sections and looking for lice and nits with a fine-tooth comb on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the neck of the neck (it's rare for them to be discovered on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and bright light might help. It can be tough to discover a nymph or adult louse-- often, there aren't numerous of them and they move quick.
See your medical professional if your kid is constantly scratching his/her head or complains of a scratchy scalp that won't disappear. The physician should be able to tell you if your child is plagued with lice and requires to be treated. Not all kids have the timeless symptoms 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 actually recently been dealt with for lice. If you find that your child does, certainly, have lice or nits, call the staff at the school and childcare center to let them understand.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are extremely contagious and can spread rapidly from person to person, specifically in group settings (like schools, child care centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).
They can't fly or jump, these small parasites have specially adjusted claws that let them crawl and cling securely to hair. They spread out mainly through head-to-head contact, however sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats also can pass them along. Kids are most susceptible to capturing lice due to the fact that they tend to have close physical contact with each other and share personal items.
And you might question if Fido or Fluffy may be catching the bugs and passing them on to your household. Rest ensured that pets can't catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other method around.
Treatment
Your medical professional can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to eliminate the lice. Medicated lice treatments normally eliminate the lice, however it may take a few days for the itching to stop.
Make sure that the medicine is safe for your kid's age. While over-the-counter hair shampoos are safe for kids as young as 2 months, other medicines are just 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 medical professional may recommend combing out the nits with a fine-tooth comb and also may suggest repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to eliminate any recently hatched nits.
Eliminating By Hand
If your child is 2 months old or younger, you must not utilize medicated lice treatments. You'll require to eliminate the nits and lice by hand.
To eliminate lice and nits by hand, utilize a fine-tooth comb on your child's wet, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for 3 weeks after the last live louse was seen. Wetting the hair ahead of time is suggested because it momentarily incapacitates the lice and the conditioner makes it much easier to get a comb through the hair.
There's no requirement to buy electronic combs that declare to kill lice or make nits much easier to eliminate. No research studies have been done to support these claims. You also do not need to purchase special vinegar services to apply to the scalp before choosing nits. Good old-fashioned water works simply fine.
Wet combing is likewise an alternative to pesticide treatments in older kids. Though petroleum jelly, mayo, or olive oil are in some cases utilized in an attempt to suffocate head lice, these treatments might not work. If medication doesn't work and you want to attempt these methods, talk to your physician.
Make certain you remove nits carefully weekly for a liceremovallosangelescare.com minimum of 3 weeks in a row, and see your kid closely 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