The head louse is a small, wingless parasitic pest that lives in human hairs and eats small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are an extremely common problem, especially for kids. They're infectious, frustrating, and often difficult to get rid of.
But while they're frustrating to deal with, lice aren't unsafe. They do not spread disease, although their bites can make a child's scalp scratchy and inflamed, and scratching can result in infection.
It's best to treat head lice quickly once they're discovered due to the fact that they can spread out easily from person to person.
Signs of Head Lice
Although they're very little, lice can be seen by the naked eye. Here are things to search for:
Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots prior to they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts near the scalp, where the temperature level is ideal for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can't be gotten rid of by brushing or shaking them off.
Unless the infestation 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. After hatching, the staying shell looks white or clear and stays securely attached to the hair shaft. This is when it's easiest to spot them, as the hair is growing longer and the egg shell is moving far from the scalp.
Adult lice and nymphs (child 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 kid's skin is to the lice. It can in some cases take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching.
Little red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the irritation is moderate; for others, a more bothersome rash may develop. Excessive scratching can result in a bacterial infection (this can cause inflamed lymph glands and red, tender skin that might have crusting and exuding). If your doctor believes this is the case, 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 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 neck of the neck (it's unusual for them to be discovered on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and brilliant light might help. However it can be difficult to discover a nymph or adult louse-- frequently, there aren't much of them and they move fast.
See your medical professional if your child is continuously scratching his or her head or suffers an itchy scalp that will not go away. The physician ought to have the ability to tell you if your kid is infested with lice and requires to be dealt with. Not all kids have the traditional signs of head lice and some can be symptom-free.
Be sure to inspect with your kid's school nurse or child care center director to see if other kids have 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 child care center to let them know.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are highly contagious and can spread out rapidly from person to person, especially in group settings (like schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).
Though they can't fly or leap, these small parasites have actually specially adapted claws that let them crawl and stick strongly to hair. They spread primarily through head-to-head contact, however sharing clothes, 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 may question if Fido or Fluffy might be capturing the pests and passing them on to your family. But felt confident that family pets can't capture head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.
Treatment
Your doctor 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 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.
Treatment may be not successful if the medication is not used properly or if the lice are resistant to it. After treatment, your doctor may recommend combing out the nits with a fine-tooth comb and likewise might recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to kill any newly hatched nits.
Removing By Hand
If your child is 2 months old or younger, you should 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. Wetting the hair ahead of time is suggested because it momentarily 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 claim to eliminate lice or make nits easier to remove. You likewise don't need to buy unique vinegar services to use to www.liceremovallosangelescare.com the scalp before selecting nits.
Wet combing is also an option to pesticide treatments in older kids. Petroleum jelly, mayonnaise, or olive oil are often used in an attempt to suffocate head lice, these treatments might not work. If medication doesn't work and you wish to try these methods, speak to your medical professional first.
Make sure you eliminate nits thoroughly each week for a minimum of 3 weeks in a row, and view 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