These products include:. In one study, a spray containing a combination of coconut and anise was found to be significantly more effective at clearing head lice than a permethrin lotion. One benefit of coconut oil and anise is that the effects are physical rather than neurological, so the lice are highly unlikely to develop a resistance. The treatment dries out the waxy outer shell of the lice, causing fatal dehydration.
A child should not stay home because of lice. However, children should keep their hat on a separate hook from other children at school, and they should not share combs, brushes, or headgear, unless it is protective head gear, such as a cycle helmet, where they would otherwise have to go without.
Hats, bedding, and so on do not need to be thrown away if there is an infestation of head lice. Washing items that were used within the 2 days before the infestation was found should be enough. Use hot water and dry on a high heat.
Items that cannot be washed can be sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks or dry cleaned. Home treatment usually gets rid of head lice. If your child or someone else in your family still has head lice after a few weeks, it means that the treatments have not worked, and an appointment should be made to see a dermatologist.
Several products are available over the counter OTC for treating head lice. OTC medications containing 1 percent permethrin or pyrethrins can be effective , although in some areas, the lice have developed a resistance to these products. Here is a list of medicines for head lice that are approved by the FDA. Check with a doctor before beginning treatment. If the problem persists or recurs, parents should carry out regular checks and treat the lice as soon as possible with a suitable preparation.
Pediculicides kill lice, and some can kill the eggs, or nits, too. If the chosen product is not effective against nits, regular treatment is recommended. Otherwise, retreatment is recommended only if live lice are found several days after treatment. Female lice can begin laying eggs from 9 days after hatching. To break the cycle and stop the lice spreading, the lice need to be removed within 9 days of hatching.
The most effective strategy is to apply treatment after all the eggs have hatched but before the new lice are mature enough to lay more eggs. FDA-approved treatments for head lice include both OTC and prescription drug s such as Nix and Rid, in the forms of shampoo, creams, and lotions. It is important to examine labels carefully and read all instructions before use, to make sure the product is safe for the child and their age group.
In areas where there is known to be resistance to an OTC treatment, or when attempts to remove an infestation without medical help have not worked, the child should see a doctor. A pediatrician can prescribe medication such as spinosad or topical ivermectin. Prescription drugs approved by the FDA include :. Permethrin cream 1 percent is available without a prescription. It is applied to hair that has been shampooed and towel-dried, but not conditioned, then rinsed off after 10 minutes.
Permethrin will not kill all the eggs at this time, but it will leave a residue on the hair that is designed to kill nymphs emerging from the 20 to 30 percent of live eggs that remain.
The application should be repeated 7 to 10 days later, if live lice are seen. Pyrethrin-based shampoo or hair mousse is available without a prescription. It is applied to dry hair and rinsed off after 10 minutes. Pyrethrins, including permethrin, should be avoided in people who are allergic to chrysanthemums and similar plants, as they contain ingredients that are derived from the chrysanthemum. No residual pediculicidal activity remains after rinsing.
In addition, none of these natural pyrethrins are can completely kill the eggs, and 20 to 30 percent of the eggs will remain viable after treatment. This means a second treatment will be needed to kill newly emerged nymphs hatched from eggs that survived the first treatment.
Evidence based on the life cycle of lice suggests that day 9 is the best day for retreatment. However, lice can adapt to this neurological effect, and resistance to 1 percent permethrin has been reported. In some places in North America, effectiveness has fallen to 20 to 30 percent. Malathion lotion 0. It should be applied to dry hair, left to dry, and rinsed off after 8 to 12 hours. It is effective at eliminating louse eggs. A single application is enough for most patients, but it should be reapplied in 7 to 9 days if live lice are still seen.
It is suitable for children aged 6 years or older. Malathion is flammable and may cause chemical burns. Most importantly — and best for the entire community — all parents should screen their children regularly. Children, like adults, do not want nits in their hair — dead or alive.
The time it would take to make the distinction is time far better spent removing ALL the nits. Finding 10 dead nits guarantees nothing for the 11th. Head lice do not come out of the air or from the ground. They are human parasites and have probably been here since the beginning of time. Desiccated dried up head lice and their eggs nits have been found on the hair and scalps of Egyptian mummies. While many have thought head lice to be only a nuisance, recent scientific study refutes this notion.
DNA technology shows head lice to be the same species as the notorious body louse which has long been associated with diseases such as typhus and relapsing fever. The potential for disease transmission via the head louse should not be underestimated. First, one must define treatment.
Someone can be treated and still be infested. The ultimate determination that someone is no longer infested can only be accomplished with a thorough manual screening to confirm the complete absence of lice and nits. Head lice can survive on a human host for approximately 30 days. They generally cannot survive longer than 24 hours off the host. A female louse lays eggs a day. The eggs hatch in days and it takes another day for the louse to mature and lay their own eggs.
They are human parasites and require human blood for survival. Some health professionals recommend the use of fluorescent lighting in screening, but others have reported that it confuses the diagnosis because the light illuminates lint, hair debris and dry skin as well as the nits. Nits are visible to the naked eye in natural light. If you are unsure whether you are seeing a nit, use a magnifying glass to take a closer look. For even better results, use the LiceMeister comb to screen through the hair — it will collect even what you cannot see.
Too often, nits are confused with hair debris and children are treated unnecessarily. Be sure you know the difference. While rubber gloves may protect the nurse, they will not prevent the communication of infectious dermatological conditions such as impetigo between the students being examined unless the gloves are changed for each exam.
Such expenditure in money and time would be impractical for the majority of nurses, who screen hundreds of students at a time and there are more realistic measures available. NPA promotes the use of disposable wooden screening sticks for each child when doing group screenings.
The sticks, which separate hair strands easily, provide a hygienic approach for nurse and child alike. We also recommend this combing for a child who is returning to the classroom after having had his or her infestation properly managed with manual removal of lice and nits.
African Americans are reported to have a much lower incidence of head lice than Caucasians, Hispanics or Asian Americans. Pediatric Dermatology cites various studies that suggest the incidence among African American schoolchildren is less than half of one percent, while the incidence among their non-black schoolmates is usually more than 10 percent.
Even though African Americans may be less susceptible to infestations, this should not be grounds for complacency; African Americans can, and do, get head lice. Frequently Asked Questions. Are lice shampoos potentially hazardous? What chemicals are used in head lice treatments? What about alternative and natural products? How do you treat a home or school for lice? The DNA from the mitochondria of head lice cells collected from lice around the world have been used to trace back the ancestry of lice to a common lineage about 2 million years ago.
They now believe that Clade C then split off from the group. Much later, between , and 1 million years ago, Clade B split from Clade A.
Scientists believe that lice, due to their relationship with humans, can provide important information about human evolution.
Because they live only on human hosts, only feed on human blood, and die shortly after separation from a host, their DNA is a relatively pure link to human evolution. Lice are continuing to evolve, to the point that many of the traditional lice treatment products used for the past several decades are no longer effective.
Multiple studies have shown that the majority of lice in the U. So now you know where lice come from—the short answer and the long answer. With million new cases of head lice each year in the U. However, there has been research in a new area of lice treatment. Scientists studying lice at the University of Utah found that lice die when exposed to heated air, as long as the air falls within a specific airflow and temperature. The device uses warm air to dehydrate the lice and eggs, depriving them of the humidity needed to survive.
Humidity is a critical factor for lice; the optimal humidity for survival is in the range of 70—90 percent; exactly the humidity of the human head. Lice cannot survive when this value falls below 40 percent.
For more information or to find a clinic, visit www. Krista Lauer on September 20, Why You Need a Lice Comb.
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