How To Deal With Head Lice
| Health And Fitness : Top Health Tips An All Attacker Doc Says: Any child can get lice, even yours. It does not mean that the child is unclean. Lice in fact are as easy for kids to get as the common cold. There?s potential for lice when children are in a group. About 10 million cases of head lice occur each year. Three quarters of them are in children under the age of 12. The first clue that your child may have lice is an itchy scalp. But to see the real evidence, you have to take a close look at the child?s head. While you seldom see the lice themselves, their eggs or nits are easily visible. These grayish white oval eggs attach firmly to the hair shaft. They?re tiny about the size of a sesame seed, and won?t wash or blow off, as a flake of skin would. Here are some solutions: Stay calm. Parents need to stay calm, so they don?t cause a panic with the children. They have to be reassured that the problem isn?t theirs. Otherwise they?ll think their going to get punished for getting into lice. Explain to them what lice are, and how you plan on getting rid of them. Then Head for the Drug Store. You can banish these invaders with several over the counter products. Rid, A-22, R & C and Nix are all similar products. They come in a shampoo, gel, or liquid. The instructions on the bottle need to be followed EXPLICITLY. All these products are pesticides. AVOID BUYING LICE SPRAYS, BECAUSE THEY EXPOSE YOUR CHILD TO TOO MUCH PESTICIDE. Consider a trim. No not at a barber or hairdresser.. You must do it yourself if it is to be done. But the shorter the hair, the easier it is to deal with. Wash Hair Over The Sink. This way you confine treatment to the scalp. DO NOT USE LICE PRODUCTS IN THE SHOWER, BECAUSE WHEN THE SOLUTION IS RINSED IT CAN CASCADE ALL OVER THE BODY. THE PRODUCTS ARE PESTICIDES, AND NEED IT BE USED WITH CAUTION. Before you begin remove your child?s shirt , and provide him with a towel to cover his face. IF THE PRODUCT GETS IN THE EYES , FLUSH IMMEDIATELY AND THOROUGHLY WITH WATER . Don?t be alarmed if some mild skin irritation and itching results from the killer. HOWEVER DO NOT MISTAKE THE ITCHING FOR REINFESTATION. Get Nit Picking The lice product will kill the lice, but not all the nits. The more nits you can remove, the less likelihood there if of a recurrence in two weeks. Also you will not mistake an old nit for a new one. For nit removal, use a nit removal comb. There should be one with the product. If the comb is not effective than you can remove the nits with a pair of baby scissors (with rounded ends) to cut off the hair that has nits attached. After the delousing treatment, when your child?s hair is dry or only slightly damp, comb it out. If your child used a towel or bathrob, pop these items into the hottest water possible. Do it right away, along with any clothes he was wearing before treatment. Then into a hot dryer. Treat Everyone AT The Same Time. It only takes one little louse to infest a child. They lay up to ten eggs a day. The lice can easily spread from one person to another. So to get rid of all critters, you need to examine everyone in the household for signs of lice. Treat all infested. Clean Up. One you have detected all the lice and treated the family, you need to pay attention to your house. First gather up everything washable that has come in contact with your child?s head. This means hats, scarves, hooded coats, hair bands, any clothing your child may have worn in the past few days. You need to get your child?s cooperation here. Don?t forget sheets and pillow cases as well. Wash all items in hot water, and then into the dryer. What you can?t wash vacuum good, or send it to the cleaners. Vacuum really good sofas, sofa pillows, mattresses and rugs/carpets. Then put the vacuum ?s bag in a plastic bag and into the trash. Clean all combs and brushes in good hot water. No need to boil. Take Care Of Teddy . A teddy bear or stuffed animals need to be vacuumed good, that your child hugs and plays with.. The rest put into a plastic bag, and get them up high. Twist these with twister ties really tight. I recommend giving only one animal if you can get away with it. Now leave that bag up there for two weeks. Lice can not survive off the scalp for more than 24 hours. But it takes the eggs 7 ? 10 days to hatch. After this time any lice or nits that may have been on the toys , will be dead. Any items such as headphones that can not be washed or vacuumed, need the same two week bag treatment. Just keep these bags up high , away from small children. Check those Heads Daily. Inspect every child in your house 7 ? 10 days after treatment. Adults to if they were treated. If you see any, you need to repeat the treatment. BUT WAIT SEVEN TO TEN DAYS BEFORE THE SECOND TREATMENT. Good idea to check daily even after the lice have long gone. Then any new recurrences can be vanquished early. TEACH YOUR CHILD NOT TO SHARE EVERYTHING. All it takes is one hitchhiker to make it?s way to a comb, brush, or even hat to another child. We all want our children to share their belongings. BUT CHILREN SHOULD NEVER SHARE COMBS, BRUSHES, HATS, HAIR ACESSORIES, OR HEAD PHONES MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD UNDERSTANDS THIS. Your child should have an extra comb and brush with him in school. Then he won?t be so tempted to borrow.
 Questions about head lice:
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