The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and eats small quantities of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are an extremely common problem, particularly for kids. They're contagious, irritating, and sometimes difficult to eliminate.
While they're annoying to deal with, lice aren't harmful. They don't spread illness, although their bites can make a kid's scalp scratchy and irritated, and scratching can result in infection.
It's best 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
Although they're really little, lice can be seen by the naked eye. Here are things to try to find:
Lice eggs (called nits). These appear like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts near the scalp, where the temperature level is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, just they can't be eliminated by brushing or shaking them off.
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. After hatching, the staying shell looks white or clear and stays firmly connected 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 away from the scalp.
Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is no larger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. If head lice is not dealt with, this process repeats itself about every 3 weeks. Most lice eat blood a number of times a day, and they can survive approximately 2 day of rests the scalp.
With lice bites come itching and scratching. The itching might not constantly begin right away-- that depends on how delicate a child's skin is to the lice. It can in some cases take weeks for kids with lice to begin scratching.
For some kids, the irritation is mild; for others, a more annoying rash may establish. If your medical professional 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 small sections 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 unusual for them to be discovered on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and intense light might help. It can be difficult to discover a nymph or adult louse-- often, there aren't numerous of them and they move quick.
See your doctor if your kid is continuously scratching his or her head or complains of a scratchy scalp that won't go away. The doctor must be able to inform you if your child is plagued with lice and needs to be treated. Not all kids have the traditional symptoms of head lice and some can be symptom-free.
Be sure to inspect with your kid's school nurse or childcare center director to see if other kids have actually just recently been treated for lice. If you find that your kid does, indeed, have lice or nits, get in touch with the personnel at the school and childcare center to let them understand. Learn what their return policy is. Many normally allow kids to return after one topical treatment has been finished.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are highly contagious and can spread out quickly 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 tiny parasites have actually specifically adapted https://liceremovallosangelescare.com/ claws that let them crawl and cling strongly to hair. They spread out mainly through head-to-head contact, however sharing clothes, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats also can pass them along. Kids are most vulnerable to capturing lice since they tend to have close physical contact with each other and share individual items.
And you may question if Fido or Fluffy might be catching the insects and passing them on to your household. However rest assured that animals can't capture head lice and pass them on to individuals or the other way around.
Treatment
Your physician can advise a medicated hair shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to kill the lice. These might be over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications, depending upon what treatments have actually already been attempted. Medicated lice treatments usually eliminate the lice, but it might take a few days for the itching to stop. For extremely resistant lice, an oral medication (medication taken by mouth) might be recommended.
Ensure that the medication is safe for your kid's age. While over-the-counter shampoos are safe for kids as young as 2 months, other medications are just safe for kids 2 years and older. It's essential to follow the instructions exactly since these items are insecticides. Applying too much medication-- or using it frequently-- can increase the threat of harm. Follow the directions on the item label.
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 repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to kill any recently hatched nits.
Getting rid of By Hand
If your child is 2 months old or younger, you ought to not utilize medicated lice treatments. You'll require to get rid of the nits and lice by hand.
To get rid of lice and nits by hand, use 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. 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 requirement to purchase electronic combs that declare to kill lice or make nits easier to remove. No studies have actually been done to support these claims. You likewise don't need to buy special vinegar services to apply to the scalp prior to selecting nits. Good old-fashioned water works just great.
Wet combing is also an alternative to pesticide treatments in older kids. Petroleum jelly, mayo, or olive oil are sometimes utilized in an effort to suffocate head lice, these treatments may not work. If medication does not work and you desire to attempt these methods, talk to your doctor.
Make sure you remove nits carefully weekly for at least 3 weeks in a row, and enjoy 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