By following these simple suggestions you can help to prevent your child from getting lice — or from becoming infested with lice.

• Tell them to try to avoid head-to-head contact at school (in gym, on the playground, or during sports) and while playing at home with other children.
• Suggest that your child does not share combs, brushes, hats, scarves, bandanas, ribbons, hair ties or bands, towels, helmets, or other personal care items with anyone else, whether they may have lice or not.
• Tell kids not to lie on bedding, pillows, and carpets that have recently been used by someone with lice.
• If your child has been with someone with lice examine their hair every 3 to 4 days. Then, treat those who are found to have lice or nits close to the scalp.

Will They Ever Be Gone?

You have followed all the instructions and the lice still persist – this can be time consuming and a nuisance for you and everyone involved.

So it looks like there are still some nits left behind – why is this?

• your child is still being exposed to someone with lice
• the treatment you’re using isn’t effective

There’s no doubt that they can be hard bugs to get rid of. If your child still has lice for 2 weeks after you started treatment or if your child’s scalp looks infected, call your doctor.

When dealing with a child who has lice it is important not to pass any stigma onto the child. You should emphasize to your child that although having lice can be embarrassing, anyone can get them. The lice will go to any head and that the child has not done anything wrong and certainly doesn’t make them dirty. Reassure your child that as hard as it is to get rid of the annoying insects can be, they will go away and the itching will stop.

For you, the person who is looking after the child – Be patient and follow the treatments and preventative tips as directed by your doctor and you’ll be well on your way to keeping your family lice-free.

Typically, pubic lice can be treated at home. But if someone in the house has them, it’s important to take precautions so that they don’t spread.

Symptoms

It is possible to have pubic lice and have no symptoms, although people suffering from this usually experience itchiness. This will often worsen at night when the lice become active and bury their heads inside pubic hair follicles to feed on a person’s blood.

Sometimes, the bites can also cause the infested area to become inflamed which can be due to a reaction to the proteins in the saliva of the lice. The area can become raw and lead to a secondary bacterial infection due to constant itching and scratching. This can also cause the pubic lice to spread.

If the infestation initially involves a few lice that then lay eggs, a person may not experience any symptoms for 2 to 4 weeks until the eggs hatch whereas if the infestation consists of many adult lice, symptoms may be noticeable immediately. In young children, pubic lice may also be a cause of blepharitis (irritation or infection of the eyelids). So, a child’s eyelashes should be examined with a high-powered magnifying glass if lice are suspected.

Contagiousness

Contrary to what some people may think, pubic lice are rarely transmitted from furniture or toilet seats. Lice that fall from the body are usually injured or dying. Lice, unlike fleas, can’t jump from person to person. And they can’t be contracted from animals.

Pubic lice can live 1 to 2 days away from a human body

Prevention

If you know that someone has been infested with lice it is important to avoid contact with bedding or towels which they may have used.

More commonly, pubic lice infestation is spread through sexual contact, so the best way to prevent it is to abstain from having sex. Sexual contact with more than one partner or with someone who has more than one partner increases the risk of contracting any STD.

When properly and consistently used, condoms decrease the risk of STDs. Latex condoms provide greater protection than natural-membrane condoms. The female condom, made of polyurethane, is also considered effective against STDs.

However, because condoms don’t cover the area with pubic hair, they are not good protection against pubic lice.

A teen that is being treated for pubic lice also should be tested for other STDs, and should have time alone with the doctor to openly discuss issues like sexual activity.

Getting Help

If your teen is thinking of becoming sexually active or already has started having sex, it’s important to talk with him or her about it. Make sure your teen knows how STDs can be spread (during anal, oral, or vaginal sex) and that these infections often don’t have symptoms, so a partner might have an STD without knowing it.

It can be difficult to talk about STDs, but just as with any other medical issue, teens need this information to stay safe and healthy. Provide the facts, and let your child know where you stand.

Not all teens will be comfortable talking with parents about these issues. If this is the case and you feel that your teen does not want to talk to you suggest that they talk to a close friend or relative who you can trust to give them the correct advice and information

Headlice Treatment

If the itching has persisted and you have visited your doctor they may recommend a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to kill the lice. You may be able to purchase these over the counter (OTC) or prescription medications. This may depend on what treatments have already been tried. Medicated lice treatments usually kill the lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop.

Following the directions on the product label is also important to ensure that the treatment works properly. It is also important to follow the directions exactly as these products are insecticides and applying too much medication or too frequently can increase the risk of causing harm. You should also be aware that the treatment may not be successful if the medication is not used correctly or if the lice are resistant to the medication

Repeating treatment 7 to 10 days after may be recommended to kill any newly hatched nits. Your doctor may also suggest that you comb out the nits with a fine-tooth comb when the treatment is completed.

Removing the lice by hand.

For children 2 years old or under, you should not use medicated lice treatments and you will be asked to remove the lice by hand.

To do this – use a fine-tooth comb on your child’s wet, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for 2 weeks after the last live louse was seen. Wetting the hair beforehand is recommended because it temporarily immobilizes the lice and the conditioner makes it easier to get a comb through the hair. Wet combing is also an alternative to pesticide treatments in older children. Though not proven to be effective, petroleum jelly, mayonnaise, or olive oil are sometimes used in an attempt to suffocate head lice.

Head lice do not survive very long once they have fallen off a person. So it’s unnecessary to spend a great deal of time and money trying to rid the house of lice.

Simple guidelines to get rid of the lice and their eggs, and help prevent a lice re-infestation:

• Wash all bed linens and clothing that’s been recently worn by anyone in your home who’s infested in very hot water, then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes.
• Dry clean any clothing that isn’t machine washable.
• Have bed linens and clothing that can’t be washed dry-cleaned. Or, put them in airtight bags for 2 weeks.
• Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car).
• Soak hair-care items like combs, brushes, hair ties or bands, headbands in medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You can also wash them in hot water or just throw them away.

Lice can easily be passed from person to person in the same house, infested family members will also need treatment to prevent the lice from coming back.

In your efforts to get rid of the bugs, there are some things you shouldn’t do. Some don’ts of head lice treatment include:

• Don’t use a hair dryer on your child’s hair after applying any of the currently available scalp treatments because some contain flammable ingredients.
• Don’t use a cream rinse or shampoo/conditioner combination before applying lice medication.
• Don’t wash your child’s hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated treatment.
• Don’t use the same medication more than three times on one person. If it doesn’t seem to be working, your doctor may recommend another medication.
• Don’t use more than one head lice medication at once.
• Don’t use sprays or hire a pest control company to try to get rid of the lice, as they can be harmful.

Medicated Lotion or Rinse

At deadlice.co.uk we have insecticide or creme rinse. Apply the preparation according to the instructions, and remove the headlice and eggs with a fine-toothed nit comb. You should take care when applying treatment because the preparations are usually toxic. The normal advice is to treat once, and repeat seven days later.

Always ask for advice before using meicated lotions on young babies (under 6 months), pregnant women or people with asthma, and always read the instructions carefully.

Sometimes complementary therapy treatments susch as tea tree oil are recommended for treating headlice, but their effectiveness has not yet been proven.

There is no need to wash clothing or bedding specially – headlice will die quickly without a host to provide warmth and food.

Head Lice

Head lice are tiny insects that live on the scalp, where they lay their eggs. Head lice do not spread disease. Having head lice does not mean you are not clean.

Head lice can be the bane of many parents, the head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. This is a very common infection which can be found in children ages 3 years to 12 years (girls more often than boys).

Although this may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) and can cause concern to many parents they are not dangerous and they don’t spread disease, but they are contagious and can just be downright annoying. Their bites may cause a child’s scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.

Tiny things but can be seen by the naked eye

So what are we looking for?

Lice eggs (commonly known as nits). They are tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Once they have hatched, the remaining shell looks white or clear. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to scalp, as they like the temperature as it is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits can look very similar to dandruff; a way of telling the difference is that they cannot be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is heavy, it’s more common to see nits in a child’s hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp. It takes 1 to 2 weeks to hatch after they’re laid.

Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is greyish – white colour and no bigger than sesame seed. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. Lice will feed on blood several times a day and can survive up to 2 days off the scalp.

Scratching. It is difficult not to scratch once the lice have bitten as the scalp becomes itchy. The itching may not always start right away – it can depend on how sensitive the child’s skin is to the lice. If the child’s skin is not sensitive then it can take weeks before the child’s reacts to the bites. However they talk of things moving around on or tickling their heads.

Small, red bumps or sores from scratching. Your child may find it hard not to scratch their head although this does vary. Some kids, the sensation is mild; others may find this more distressing. Although this may be difficult the child must try not to scratch excessively as this can lead to a bacterial infection (where the skin can become red and tender and may have crusting and oozing along with swollen lymph glands). This can be treated by your doctor with a course of oral antibiotics.

One way to check your child’s hair is by parting the hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits on the scalp. Nits can be found behind the ears, and around the nape of the neck very rarely are they found on eyelashes or eyebrows. If you suspect your child has them but cannot see any a magnifying glass and bright light may help. Adult lice or nymph are often hard to spot as there aren’t as many and are able to move faster.

If you are concerned and your child is constantly scratching their head and the itching is not going away please do contact your doctor. As he or she should be able to tell you if your child is infested with lice and needs to be treated.

Also check with your child’s school nurse or childcare centre to see if other children have recently been treated for lice. If you discover that your child does, indeed, have lice or nits, you should contact the staff at the school or any childcare centres your child goes to.

Are Lice Contagious?

Yes Lice are highly contagious spreading quickly from person to person. This is extremely common in group settings, schools, childcare centres, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps.

They cannot fly or jump but have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. Spreading mainly via head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats can also help pass them along. Children are most prone to catching lice because they have close physical contact with each other and often share personal items.

Families with pets may be concerned and wonder if a family pet may be catching the pests and passing them on to your family. Rest assured that pets can’t catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.