Getting Rid of Lice: A Parental Guide
Summers out and your kids are back in school! But did you know around 6 to 12 million children under the age of six contract lice annually in the United States?
Before you freak out, take a deep breath and use the following tips to help you eliminate the threat of lice effectively with our help!
Know your lice
Knowing the stages of a louse’s life cycle can help you devise a treatment plan which is best suited to getting rid of them. A louse starts as an egg that hatches in a week to give birth to nymphs. A nymph requires another 7 days to develop six legs and transform into an adult louse. While nymphs and nits don’t pose a serious threat, the presence of adult louse scurrying around on your scalp indicates a live infestation.Look out for symptoms
The best way to get ahead of a lice outbreak is to look for symptoms of lice in your child. An itchy scalp, irritation, difficulty in falling asleep and red bumps along the back of the neck and behind the ears are some signs that you can look out for. Spotting symptoms early on can prevent further infections that may develop from excessive scratching.Inspect your kids
Once you spot symptoms, assess the severity of the infestation by inspecting your kids. Visual inspection and wet combing are two of the most effective ways to look for lice. Research shows that visual inspection is 93 percent effective and wet combing is 95 percent effective in spotting lice. Visual inspection requires checking for lice under bright light, whereas, in wet combing, a fine-toothed comb is used to part damp hair to inspect for lice.Take a look at clothes and other household items
Lice can become dislodged from the host’s hair and fall on objects. These may include clothes and household items such as bedsheets, pillows, carpets, rugs, and hair accessories. You can start by inspecting these items and then isolating them to prevent an outbreak. Seal items in an airtight plastic bag to suffocate lice, or wash clothes in hot water to kill the lice with high temperature.Research lice
Doing some research comes in handy when it comes to bursting certain myths about lice. You will also be able to determine the best course of treatment for your child. Research why over-the-counter treatments are no longer effective in the treatment of lice, and how home remedies are at best anecdotal when it comes to getting rid of lice.
