The head louse is a small, wingless parasitic bug that lives among human hairs and feeds on small quantities of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are an extremely common problem, specifically for kids. They're infectious, irritating, and sometimes tough to eliminate.
While they're annoying to deal with, lice aren't harmful. They do not spread out disease, although their bites can make a child's scalp scratchy and inflamed, and scratching can cause infection.
It's finest to deal with head lice rapidly as soon as they're discovered since they can spread easily from person to person.
Signs of Head Lice
They're really 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 before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts near to the scalp, where the temperature level is best for keeping warm up until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, just they can't be eliminated by brushing or shaking them off.
Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more typical 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 remaining shell looks white or clear and stays strongly connected to the hair shaft. This is when it's simplest to spot them, as the hair is growing longer and the egg shell is moving away from the scalp.
Adult lice and nymphs (child lice). The adult louse is no larger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and end up being 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. The majority of lice eat blood a number of times a day, and they can survive up to 2 day of rests the scalp.
Scratching. With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is actually due to a response to the saliva of lice. Nevertheless, the itching might not always begin right now-- that depends upon how sensitive a child's skin is to the lice. It can in some cases take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching. They may grumble, though, of things moving around on or tickling their heads.
Little red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the inflammation is moderate; for others, a more irritating rash might develop. Extreme scratching can cause a bacterial infection (this can trigger inflamed lymph glands and red, tender skin that may have crusting and exuding). If your medical professional thinks this holds true, he or she might treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child'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 found on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and intense light may assist. However it can be tough to discover a nymph or adult louse-- frequently, there aren't many of them and they move fast.
See your doctor if your kid is continuously scratching his or her head or suffers a scratchy scalp that won't disappear. The doctor ought to have the ability to inform you if your child is plagued with lice and needs to be dealt with. Not all kids have the classic symptoms of head lice and some can be symptom-free.
Also be sure to contact your child's school nurse or child care center director to see if other kids have just recently been treated for lice. If you discover that your kid does, certainly, have lice or nits, call the staff at the school and child care center to let them know. Find out what their return policy is. A lot of typically enable kids to return after one topical treatment has actually been finished.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are extremely infectious and can spread quickly 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 tiny parasites have actually specifically adjusted claws that let them crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread generally through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothes, bedding, combs, brushes, and hats likewise can pass them along. Kids are most vulnerable to catching lice because they tend to have close physical contact with each other and share personal items.
And you might wonder if Fido or Fluffy might be capturing the bugs and passing them on to your family. However rest assured that animals can't capture head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.
Treatment
Your physician can suggest a medicated hair shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to kill the lice. Medicated lice treatments usually kill the lice, but it may take a couple of days for the itching to stop.
Make sure that the medicine is safe for your kid's age. While non-prescription hair shampoos are safe for kids as young as 2 months, other medications are only safe for kids 2 years and older.
Treatment may be unsuccessful if the medication is not utilized properly or if the lice are resistant to it. After treatment, your medical professional may suggest combing out the nits with a fine-tooth comb and likewise might advise repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to kill any recently hatched nits.
Eliminating By Hand
If your kid is 2 months old or more youthful, you should not use 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 www.liceremovallosangelescare.com child's damp, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for 3 weeks after the last live louse was seen. Moistening the hair ahead of time is recommended because it briefly paralyzes the lice and the conditioner makes it much easier to get a comb through the hair.
There's no requirement to purchase electronic combs that claim to kill lice or make nits easier to eliminate. You also do not need to buy special vinegar services to use to the scalp prior to selecting nits.
Wet combing is likewise 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 may not work. If medication doesn't work and you want to try these techniques, speak to your medical professional first.
Make certain you get rid of nits carefully each week for a minimum of 3 weeks in a row, and watch 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