Lice
Crawling insects that feed on human blood that are a common annoyance in elementary schools and day-care centers. Head lice live on and suck blood from the scalp, leaving red spots that itch intensely and can lead to skin inflammation and infection. The females lay a daily batch of pale eggs, called “nits,” that attach to hairs close to the scalp. The nits hatch in about a week, and the adults can live for several weeks.
Head lice are found among people of all walks of life. About six million cases occur each year among U.S. schoolchildren between ages three and 12, even among those who shampoo daily. Children are most often infected via direct contact at school by sharing hats, brushes, combs, or headrests. Pets cannot get head lice.
Neighborhood parents and the child’s school, camp, or child-care provider should be notified of the infestation. Children should be checked once a week for head lice.
Head lice lay eggs at the base of hairs growing on the head. While nits can be found anywhere on the hair, they are especially common behind the ears and at the back of the neck. Because lice move so quickly, it is usually the oval-shaped nits that are seen on the hair shaft. Nits are yellow when newly laid, turning to white once they hatch. They appear to be “glued” at an angle to the side of the hair shaft and hatch within eight days. The empty eggshells are carried outward as the hair grows.
Nits should not be confused with hair debris such as fat plugs or hair casts. Fat plugs are bright white irregularly shaped clumps of fat cells stuck to the hair shaft. Hair casts are long, thin cylindershaped segments of dandruff encircling the hair shaft; they are easily dislodged.
Head lice and nits also can be found on eyebrows and eyelashes. If one person in a family has head lice, all family members should be checked. However, only those who are infested should be treated with lice pesticide.
Diagnosis
Lice infestations are diagnosed by the presence of nits. By calculating the distance from the base of the hair to the farthest nits, it is possible to estimate how long the infestation has been.
Treatment
In order to get rid of head lice, all nits must be removed. Since no lice pesticide kills all nits, remaining nits left on the hair must be removed to eliminate the need for more treatments. Nits can be removed with a special nit removal comb, with baby safety scissors, or with the fingernails.
Drug treatment Lotions containing malathion or carbaryl kill lice quickly; the lotion should be washed off 12 hours after application, followed by combing the hair with a fine-toothed comb to remove dead lice and nits. Shampoos containing malathion or carbaryl are also effective if used repeatedly over several days. Combs and brushes should be plunged into very hot water to kill any attached eggs.
The National Pediculosis Association discouraged the use of lindane products (such as Kwell) because they appear to be potentially more toxic and no more effective than other treatments. Still, no product kills 100 percent of nits. Lice medications are not intended to be used on a routine or preventive basis.
All lice-killing medications are really pesticides and therefore should be used with caution. A health-care expert should be consulted before using or applying pesticides when the child has lice or nits in the eyebrows or eyelashes or has other health problems (such as allergies). Because head lice pesticides can be absorbed into the blood, they should not be used on open wounds on the scalp. These medications should not be used at all on infants and should be used with caution on children under age two. Instead, lice and nits can be removed by hand on very young children while wearing gloves.
The product should be used over a sink (not applied in a tub or shower) to minimize pesticide exposure to the rest of the body. The child’s eyes should be kept covered while administering the pesticide.
Environmental treatments Bedding and recently worn clothing also should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot drier. Combs and brushes should be cleaned and then soaked in hot water for 10 minutes. Vacuuming is the best way to remove lice and attached nits from furniture, mattresses, rugs, stuffed toys, and car seats. According to the National Pediculosis Association, lice sprays should not be used.
Body Lice
Body lice live and lay eggs on clothing next to the skin, visiting the body only to feed. Body lice affect those who rarely change their clothes and are not a serious problem for American children. Body lice can be killed by placing infested clothing in a hot drier for five minutes, by washing clothes in very hot water, or by burning.
Head lice are found among people of all walks of life. About six million cases occur each year among U.S. schoolchildren between ages three and 12, even among those who shampoo daily. Children are most often infected via direct contact at school by sharing hats, brushes, combs, or headrests. Pets cannot get head lice.
Neighborhood parents and the child’s school, camp, or child-care provider should be notified of the infestation. Children should be checked once a week for head lice.
Head lice lay eggs at the base of hairs growing on the head. While nits can be found anywhere on the hair, they are especially common behind the ears and at the back of the neck. Because lice move so quickly, it is usually the oval-shaped nits that are seen on the hair shaft. Nits are yellow when newly laid, turning to white once they hatch. They appear to be “glued” at an angle to the side of the hair shaft and hatch within eight days. The empty eggshells are carried outward as the hair grows.
Nits should not be confused with hair debris such as fat plugs or hair casts. Fat plugs are bright white irregularly shaped clumps of fat cells stuck to the hair shaft. Hair casts are long, thin cylindershaped segments of dandruff encircling the hair shaft; they are easily dislodged.
Head lice and nits also can be found on eyebrows and eyelashes. If one person in a family has head lice, all family members should be checked. However, only those who are infested should be treated with lice pesticide.
Diagnosis
Lice infestations are diagnosed by the presence of nits. By calculating the distance from the base of the hair to the farthest nits, it is possible to estimate how long the infestation has been.
Treatment
In order to get rid of head lice, all nits must be removed. Since no lice pesticide kills all nits, remaining nits left on the hair must be removed to eliminate the need for more treatments. Nits can be removed with a special nit removal comb, with baby safety scissors, or with the fingernails.
Drug treatment Lotions containing malathion or carbaryl kill lice quickly; the lotion should be washed off 12 hours after application, followed by combing the hair with a fine-toothed comb to remove dead lice and nits. Shampoos containing malathion or carbaryl are also effective if used repeatedly over several days. Combs and brushes should be plunged into very hot water to kill any attached eggs.
The National Pediculosis Association discouraged the use of lindane products (such as Kwell) because they appear to be potentially more toxic and no more effective than other treatments. Still, no product kills 100 percent of nits. Lice medications are not intended to be used on a routine or preventive basis.
All lice-killing medications are really pesticides and therefore should be used with caution. A health-care expert should be consulted before using or applying pesticides when the child has lice or nits in the eyebrows or eyelashes or has other health problems (such as allergies). Because head lice pesticides can be absorbed into the blood, they should not be used on open wounds on the scalp. These medications should not be used at all on infants and should be used with caution on children under age two. Instead, lice and nits can be removed by hand on very young children while wearing gloves.
The product should be used over a sink (not applied in a tub or shower) to minimize pesticide exposure to the rest of the body. The child’s eyes should be kept covered while administering the pesticide.
Environmental treatments Bedding and recently worn clothing also should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot drier. Combs and brushes should be cleaned and then soaked in hot water for 10 minutes. Vacuuming is the best way to remove lice and attached nits from furniture, mattresses, rugs, stuffed toys, and car seats. According to the National Pediculosis Association, lice sprays should not be used.
Body Lice
Body lice live and lay eggs on clothing next to the skin, visiting the body only to feed. Body lice affect those who rarely change their clothes and are not a serious problem for American children. Body lice can be killed by placing infested clothing in a hot drier for five minutes, by washing clothes in very hot water, or by burning.
Posted in Health and Wellness
Comments (2)
Very informative…Just wondering though-how about the belief that applying hair oil or staying in the sun for long periods of time can cause lice?Is that factual or do such activities merely increase the infestation?
Hello Emily,
Hair oil doesn’t cause lice, it actually helps in keeping lice away because dry scalp leads to dandruff and head lice, so if you apply hair oil then your keeping your scalp clean thus preventing head lice. As for staying under the sun for a long time, it is actually one of the treatment of lice and not the cause.