The Facts
- Head lice are small, six legged wingless insects, pin - head sized when they hatch, less than match head size when fully grown, they are grey/brown in colour.
- They are difficult to detect in dry hair even when the head is closely inspected.
- Eggs are laid close to the scalp and are pearl coloured oval shapes.
- NITS are found further along the hair and are dull in colour.
- They can be found anywhere on the scalp, but especially behind the ears and the back of the neck.
- They often cause itching, but this not always the case, particularly when recently arrived on the head.
- Head lice cannot jump swim or fly but are spread from clambering from one head to another.
- Head lice feed by biting and sucking blood through the scalp.
- Head lice are not fussy about hair length or condition. Therefore clean hair is no protection, although regular hair washing and combing sessions offer a good opportunity to detect head lice.
- Anyone with hair can catch head lice, but children who have head to head contact, either at nursery or school or during play, are most commonly affected.
Detection
Control of head lice starts at home, children need supervision with hair washing and combing. Wet combing after washing the hair is an excellent way of detection and treatment.
Method of detection:
- Wash the hair using ordinary shampoo, and then use a wide toothed comb to straighten and untangle the hair.
- Once the comb moves freely through the hair, without dragging, switch to a fine tooth comb. Make sure the teeth of the comb slot into the hair at the roots and draw down to the ends of the hair with every stroke. The comb must be fine enough to catch the lice.
- Check the comb after each stroke as you work through the hair section by section, so that the whole head is combed through, then rinse out the conditioner and repeat the combing in the wet hair.
- These steps can be followed on a regular basis to detect the presence of lice before they spread.
- Check all family members at the same time and arrange treatment when lice are found.
Treatment
- Use only a medicated lotion recommended by a GP, pharmacist or nurse.
- Only use the treatment if you find a living head louse.
- Apply the treatment according to the instructions, and remove lice and eggs with a fine tooth nit comb.
- Products maybe capable of killing eggs, as well as lice, but there is no certainty of this. Check for baby lice hatching out from eggs 3 - 5 days after treatment and again after 10 -12 days.
- You should seek advice if seem to be unaffected by treatments.
- You should seek advice where whoever is being treated is either under 1 year of age, they suffer from asthma or allergies, or is pregnant or breast feeding.
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