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 don't spread out 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 rapidly when they're found due to the fact that they can spread out easily from person to person.
Signs of Head Lice
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 near the scalp, where the temperature level is perfect for keeping warm up until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only 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 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 remains firmly connected to the hair shaft. This is when it's simplest to identify them, as the hair is growing longer and the egg shell is moving far from the scalp.
Adult lice and nymphs (infant lice). The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller sized and end up being adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. If head lice is not dealt with, this procedure repeats itself about every 3 weeks. The majority of 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 start right away-- that depends on how delicate a child's skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to begin scratching.
Little red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the irritation is mild; for others, a more irritating rash might develop. Excessive scratching can cause a bacterial infection (this can trigger swollen lymph glands and red, tender skin that might have crusting and exuding). If your physician thinks this holds true, she or he may treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You might be able to see the lice or nits by parting your kid's hair into little sections 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 might help. However it can be difficult to find a nymph or adult louse-- often, there aren't a number of them and they move fast.
See your medical professional if your kid is continuously scratching his or her head or complains of a scratchy scalp www.liceremovallosangelescare.com that won't go away. The medical professional ought to be able to inform you if your child is plagued with lice and requires to be treated. Not all kids have the timeless signs of head lice and some can be symptom-free.
Be sure to examine with 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 child does, undoubtedly, have lice or nits, contact the personnel at the school and childcare center to let them understand.
Are Lice Contagious?
Lice are highly contagious and can spread out quickly from person to person, specifically in group settings (like schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).
Though they can't fly or leap, these small parasites have specially adjusted claws that let them crawl and cling securely to hair. They spread primarily through head-to-head contact, however sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats likewise can pass them along. Kids are most prone to catching lice since they tend to have close physical contact with each other and share personal items.
And you might question if Fido or Fluffy may be capturing the bugs and passing them on to your family. But felt confident that pets can't capture head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.
Treatment
Your physician can recommend a medicated hair shampoo, cream rinse, or cream to kill the lice. These might be over the counter (OTC) or prescription medications, depending upon what treatments have currently been tried. Medicated lice treatments generally kill the lice, however it may take a couple of days for the itching to stop. For extremely resistant lice, an oral medication (medicine taken by mouth) might be recommended.
Ensure that the medicine is safe for your kid's age. While over-the-counter hair shampoos are safe for kids as young as 2 months, other medicines are only safe for kids 2 years and older. It's essential to follow the instructions exactly because these products are insecticides. Using excessive medication-- or using it too often-- can increase the danger of damage. Follow the instructions on the product label.
Treatment may be not successful 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 duplicating treatment in 7 to 10 days to eliminate any newly hatched nits.
Eliminating By Hand
If your kid is 2 months old or younger, you must 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 kid's damp, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for 3 weeks after the last live louse was seen. Wetting the hair ahead of time is advised because it briefly 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 also do not need to purchase special vinegar solutions to use to the scalp prior to picking nits.
Wet combing is likewise an option to pesticide treatments in older kids. Petroleum jelly, mayonnaise, or olive oil are sometimes utilized in an effort to suffocate head lice, these treatments may not work. If medication doesn't work and you want to try these approaches, talk to your doctor.
Make certain you eliminate nits thoroughly weekly 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