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Dr Shapiro completed his undergraduate education at UC San Diego earning a B S in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a B A in Political Science He furthered his education at UCLA where he earned a Masters Degree in Public…
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Your Child and Head Lice Part I: What's the Deal?
They're a nuisance. They're itchy. And chances are either your child or someone you know will encounter these tiny little critters at some point during their childhood. So when my neighbor stopped by for an informative discussion about a little outbreak that was occurring in her son's classroom as well as in her son's thick blonde hair, I decided it was finally time to share a bit of information about head lice (which I will refer to as just lice from here on out) with you all as well. But before I go any further, something I want to stress is that no matter how annoying and embarrassing lice may be for your child, there are no significant health consequences from acquiring it and it doesn't incriminate one's personal hygiene or home cleanliness. The goals are simply to treat in a timely manner and prevent its spread.
So what exactly are lice? Lice are parasites which can be found anywhere on the head, although favorite places include around the ears and near the neckline in the back. They enjoy and need to feed on human blood throughout the day to survive. There are 3 forms of lice: the egg (AKA the nit), the nymph, and the adult. The eggs are laid by the adult near the base of the hair shaft where they then firmly attach. While these eggs may be difficult to see...and often look like dandruff...they then hatch about 8-9 days later. Nymphs are the immature lice and after feeding on human blood for about 10 days or so, become adults. Adults have 6 legs and are often grayish-white to tan in color and also require human blood to survive as they will die within 1-2 days after falling off a child's head.
Who gets lice? Really, just about any child can but the numbers obviously increase in those who attend preschool/elementary school and obviously household members of bug-ridden children. And just so you know your child is not alone, some estimates have 12 million cases occurring annually in the U.S in the 3-11 year age range. Because they cannot fly, head lice spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested child...head-to-head contact. Spread via contact with clothing or hair-care items (combs, brushes), while not impossible, is considered to be rather unlikely.
What to expect if your child has lice? Typically, a child infested with lice will be somewhat uncomfortable secondary to the itching. Furthermore, because lice are more active at night, getting a good night sleep may be tough. Lesions...which can become infected...are often noted on the head secondary to the intense scratching.
How do you diagnose lice? Find one live nymph or adult louse (but remember adult lice move quickly) and you've made your diagnosis. The use of a magnifying glass with a fine-tooth comb in a well lit room may aid in making your diagnosis. With nits, it becomes a bit tricky as if you find them attached within ¼ inch of the base of a hair shaft, an infestation probably exists. But if nits are greater than ¼ inch from the scalp and no live nymphs or adult lice are seen, it usually indicates an old infestation and treatment is not warranted. Best advice, if you're not sure, then please see someone who is trained to identify active lice.
And what about the treatment for lice? Well, consider it to be a 3 step process which involves killing the lice, ridding the hair of nits, and preventing their spread. But as I feel some of you may be fading out, stay tuned...as I'll complete my discussion regarding the treatment for lice in just a few days.
Dr. Jeremy
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Displaying comments 18-1 of 18
Got a Question?
I have given up on chemical treatments as the lice are noticably resistant to them, and combing with conditioner IS the only effective treatment - but try and keep on top of that. I live in hope, that researchers will develop something that actually WORKS - not just cost's. And if you need a magnifying glass to see lice - mmm - meanwhile back in the real world!!!
later on, i discovered that if you lather with conditioner, i used suave, it was cheaper and put a shower cap on overnite, the lice die and the nits just slide out. olive oil does the same thing. and boy do they both do wonders for the hair
It beats all the top brand names and cost.
Smother conditioner into hair and comb out lice using nit comb on to toilet paper.
Wash all linen using hot water.
I tried every stupid thing they sold at a drug store to kill them.
Then someone told my mom that tea tree oil killed them.
We bought some of the oil from a organic food store, soaked it my hair for like 10 minutes, and BAM! They were gone! That easy!
I'm so mad that I damaged my scalp so bad by using so many chemicals to try and kill them, when all I needed was some natural oil to take care of it!
I highly recommend tea tree oil.
Saves a lot of time and itchy-ness!