The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic pest that lives in human hairs and feeds upon tiny amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Lice (the plural of louse) are a really typical problem, especially for kids. They're contagious, frustrating, and in some cases difficult to get rid of.
While they're frustrating to deal with, lice aren't unsafe. They don't spread disease, although their bites can make a kid's scalp scratchy and inflamed, and scratching can result in infection.
It's best to deal with head lice quickly once they're discovered since they can spread easily from person to person.
Indications of Head Lice
Although they're extremely small, 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 close to the scalp, where the temperature is best for keeping warm till they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, just they can't be gotten rid of by brushing or shaking them off.
Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more typical 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 (baby lice). If head lice is not dealt with, this process repeats itself about every 3 weeks.
Scratching. With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is actually due to a reaction to the saliva of lice. Nevertheless, the itching might not always begin right away-- that depends upon how sensitive a child's skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to begin scratching. They might complain, though, of things walking around on or tickling their heads.
Little red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the irritation is mild; for others, a more annoying rash might establish. Extreme scratching can cause a bacterial infection (this can cause swollen lymph glands and red, tender skin that might have crusting and oozing). If your physician thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your kid's hair into small 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 uncommon for them to be discovered on eyelashes or eyebrows).
A magnifying glass and bright light might assist. It can be difficult to discover a nymph or adult louse-- typically, there aren't numerous of them and they move quick.
See your physician if your child is continuously scratching his/her head or suffers an itchy scalp that won't disappear. The doctor must be able to inform you if your child is plagued with lice and needs 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 childcare center director to see if other kids have actually just recently been treated for lice. If you discover that your kid does, indeed, have lice or nits, get in touch with the personnel at the school and childcare center to let them know.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are extremely infectious and can spread quickly from person to person, specifically in group settings (like schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).
They can't fly or leap, these tiny parasites have specifically adapted claws that let them crawl and cling strongly to hair. They spread generally through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bedding, combs, brushes, and hats likewise can pass them along. Kids are most prone to capturing lice because 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 bugs and passing them on to your household. However felt confident that pets can't capture head lice and pass them on to individuals or the other way around.
Treatment
Your medical professional can suggest a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or cream to eliminate the lice. These may be non-prescription (OTC) or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have currently been tried. Medicated lice treatments usually kill the lice, however 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.
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 doctor may recommend combing the nits with a fine-tooth comb and likewise may recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to eliminate any freshly 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 remove 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 eliminate lice or make nits easier to remove. You also don't need to purchase unique vinegar options to use to the scalp prior to selecting nits.
Wet combing is also an alternative to pesticide treatments in older kids. Petroleum jelly, mayo, or olive oil are often used in an attempt to suffocate head lice, these treatments may not work. If medicine doesn't work and you want to attempt these techniques, talk with your medical professional initially.
Ensure you eliminate nits carefully weekly for a minimum of www.liceremovallosangelescare.com 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