What are head lice?
Head lice are tiny six-legged blood-sucking parasites. Each leg is equipped with a claw, enabling the lice to grasp onto the shaft of the child's hair. They can vary in color from grayish white to reddish brown. Head lice, like chameleons, have the ability to adapt to their environment.
The female louse lays her eggs by gluing them to your hair shafts. She will produce approximately 200 eggs in her lifetime. Eggs, or nits as they're commonly called, generally hatch in 7 to 10 days. Once hatched, they have a life expectancy of approximately 30 days.
Lice are wingless and CANNOT jump or fly. They can, however, move with amazing speeds.
They depend on human blood for survival. A louse separated from its human host will rarely survive more than 24 hours.
Head lice are tiny six-legged blood-sucking parasites. Each leg is equipped with a claw, enabling the lice to grasp onto the shaft of the child's hair. They can vary in color from grayish white to reddish brown. Head lice, like chameleons, have the ability to adapt to their environment.
The female louse lays her eggs by gluing them to your hair shafts. She will produce approximately 200 eggs in her lifetime. Eggs, or nits as they're commonly called, generally hatch in 7 to 10 days. Once hatched, they have a life expectancy of approximately 30 days.
Lice are wingless and CANNOT jump or fly. They can, however, move with amazing speeds.
They depend on human blood for survival. A louse separated from its human host will rarely survive more than 24 hours.
What do head lice look like?
Head lice have three forms: the egg (also called a nit), the nymph, and the adult louse.
The picture to the right shows the actual size of the three lice forms compared to a penny.
Head lice have three forms: the egg (also called a nit), the nymph, and the adult louse.
The picture to the right shows the actual size of the three lice forms compared to a penny.
Egg/Nit: Nits are lice eggs laid by the adult female head louse at the base of the hair shaft nearest the scalp. Nits are firmly attached to the hair shaft and are oval-shaped and very small (about the size of a knot in thread) and hard to see. Nits often appear yellow or white although live nits sometimes appear to be the same color as the hair of the infested person. Nits are often confused with dandruff, scabs, or hair spray droplets. Head lice nits usually take about 8-9 days to hatch. Eggs that are likely to hatch are usually located no more than ¼ inch from the base of the hair shaft. Nits located further than ¼ inch from the base of hair shaft may very well be already hatched, non-viable nits, or empty nits or casings. This is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.
Nymph: A nymph is an immature louse that hatches from the nit. A nymph looks like an adult head louse, but is smaller. To live, a nymph must feed on blood. Nymphs mature into adults about 9-12 days after hatching from the nit.
Adult: The fully grown and developed adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs, and is tan to grayish-white in color. Adult head lice may look darker in persons with dark hair than in persons with light hair. To survive, adult head lice must feed on blood. An adult head louse can live about 30 days on a person's head but will typically die within 24 hours if it falls off a person. Adult female head lice are usually larger than males and can lay up to 10 eggs each day.
Where do they come from?
No one knows for sure. Evidence of lice existence has been documented as far back as ancient times.
How do we get them?
In most all cases lice are transmitted from one human host to another, brought about mainly as a result of head-to-head contact.
Are children the only ones who get head lice?
While it's more commonly spread among children, parents and other adults are not immune.
When hair has contact with another’s hair (and it will), if that person has lice and you are a favorable environment, you take the risk of exposing yourself to an uninvited houseguest.
Is it a sign of being dirty?
Head lice actually prefer a clean head of hair. Lice, however, are not prejudicial. A louse’s only concern is for its own survival. To accomplish this, the louse needs to feed and is always looking for the most convenient means of doing so.
How do I know for sure that my child has head lice?
The most obvious way is the usual itchy scalp so commonly, but not always, found in head lice cases. The only way to confirm your suspicions, however, is by a thorough examination of your child's hair. Making head lice exams a part of your regular routine will allow you to identify the problem at its onset and thus prevent head lice from taking over your family, your home and your life.
What if I find head lice?
If you do find head lice on your child's head, take care of the problem right away. Each day wasted is an increased opportunity for reproduction, not to mention the additional chances of spreading to others.
How you treat the problem is entirely up to you. There are a lot of products on the market but remember, many of these are pesticides. If you feel you must use them, do so sparingly, and be careful to follow all directions. Whether you choose a pesticidal shampoo product or go with one of the newer non-toxic products, it is important to understand that 100% removal cannot occur without hours of painstakingly picking all of the nits out.
Thankfully, many new products have been developed, helping to ease your burden. Among this new generation of lice combs is the Terminator comb. Its patented design helps parents eliminate some 85% of their child’s lice and nits.
How bad is the problem?
Head lice are one of the number one reasons for absenteeism in schools across the country.
It’s impossible to know exactly how many cases of head lice there are each year. Statistics derived from product sales, however, suggest that the U.S. alone sees over 12 million cases of head lice each year. It is estimated that parents spend 150 million dollars annually trying to be rid of this problem. The cost is far greater when you factor in the missed wages that often occur as a result of parents being forced to miss work while tending to their child's head lice problem.
Why has this become such a problem?
Head lice are insects and like other insects, repeated exposure to chemicals over an extended period of time has allowed the lice to build up a resistance to the very products once used to kill them.
How should I clean my house to prevent re-infestation?
Another important factor is the failure to follow through with precautionary measures. While mega cleaning is not necessary, and the environment does not play as important a role as it was once thought, you must still exercise common-sense cleaning. The best advice is to think of your life in a 24-hour window. Consider what items you had contact with in that time period and keep your focus on those items only. Remember, lice DO NOT live in your home. The problem is on your head and the heads of those around you. Additionally is the risk that parents just aren’t getting it all out. If nits are left on the hair to hatch, the cycle will start all over again. Equally important is the need to recognize and remove nymphs. Often as tiny as the tip of a very sharp pencil, nymphs grow to start families of their own. Finally, don’t forget it is a contact issue.
While resistance issues are considered a large factor, they are far from being totally responsible. As the pharmaceutical companies are quick to point out, the directions on the package are there for a reason. Unless you are willing to read and follow them in their entirety, you can't expect the products to end the problem.
Keep in mind that head lice need blood to survive, so rather than stripping your sheets daily, running the vacuum three times a day and bagging every toy your child owns, your time is better spent checking and combing his or her head and communicating with those around you. Nit removal is a tedious enough job without overburdening yourself with unnecessary cleaning techniques. You need not drive yourself to a state of hysteria or have a nervous breakdown in an attempt to regain a normal lifestyle. One final note on all of this is to keep in mind how this affects your child. We don't want children to feel that it's their fault or to feel ashamed because they have head lice. It happens! We must stress that to the children as well. Deal with it, get over it, and go on with our lives!
With this in mind, recommended housecleaning steps are as follows:
- avoid sharing hair care items (brushes, rubber bands, etc.)
- clean hair brushes, combs, barrettes, and other hair ornaments by soaking them in hot water greater than 130 degrees F for 10 minutes, or soaking in a disinfectant solution
- vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, the risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a rug or carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1-2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the human scalp. Spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
- wash clothes, bedding, and cloth toys in hot water greater than 130 degrees F in an automatic washing machine or place them in a hot dryer for 30 minutes.
Is there any danger?
For the most part, head lice themselves are an irritating problem. While in some cases their saliva can produce an allergic reaction among certain individuals, these reactions are usually mild compared to the risk involved with many shampoo products.
Products containing Lindane have caused the greatest concerns. Exposure to the neurotoxic product has been linked to seizures, developmental disabilities, hormone disruption and worse yet--cancer. Thanks to the EPA, one can no longer use Lindane as a source of treatment when dealing with our animals or our environment; as it is considered too dangerous an option. The only use, and I repeat, the ONLY use, still allowed, is as an ingredient in shampoos and lotions for the treatment of head lice and scabies. Thankfully, many states, including California, New York, and Michigan have taken this decision out of the FDA’s hands and banned the pharmaceutical use within their states.
Adding to the dangers is the fact that many parents fail to follow proper directions, leaving the shampoo on longer than recommended or re-treating too quickly. Improper treatment is one of the biggest causes of re-infestation and among the greatest dangers to your child. Another such danger, and one clearly marked on the shampoo packaging, is the danger in treating a child under the age of 3 or the use of such products by pregnant individuals.
What is being done about it?
The National Pediculosis Association was formed in 1982. Since then the Association has made great strides in increasing awareness through research and education. The group fought to limit the use of potentially harmful products containing dangerous chemicals such as Lindane and was also instrumental in establishing the current No Nit Policy still utilized in many schools today. The NPA was also instrumental in recognizing the importance of combing and through their research they helped to revolutionize the way we treat head lice, with the use of better and more effective combs.
Many new combs are now available. The Terminator’s micro-grooved design in a spiral form makes combing even more effective. The end result is less time than manually picking and a greater success rate upon completion. A comb comparison study performed in our West Palm Beach office in May of 2007 on 100 lice-infested individuals found the Terminator comb outperformed the Lice Meister by 2 to 1 and the Rid comb by almost 4 to 1. Clearly, the more effective the comb, the greater the chance of ending the problem quickly. Regrettably, however, most retailers continue to ignore these facts, instead continuing to order products that are easier to stock, rather than those that have been proven to work the best. The Nit Terminator comb can purchased from Lice Solutions at their online store, or at Asheville Lice, LLC.
While great strides have been made in the fight against head lice, it’s still not enough. Now no longer a popular cause, head lice risk is being swept under the rug. Only by continuing to ban together, by speaking up for more proactive measures in your schools and your community, can we prevent head lice from escalating your area.
How can I help?
If your child has lice, please consider using only safe products. If you are not sure you can or have effectively removed all bugs and nits, consider using a professional lice removal service in your area.
Encourage regular screenings not only in your child's classroom, but for the entire school as well. Schools should consider scheduling head checks at the start of school, after the Christmas holiday, and before summer break. For parents, the first week of August is Head Check Awareness Week.
Check your children's heads on a regular basis and encourage your friends to have their/their children's hair checked! Notify the school, scouts, church, daycare and anyone else your child has had contact with, if your child has had head lice. Keep in mind that symptoms usually don’t develop for 7 to 10 days after infestation. Don’t let it escalate or continue to spread before you begin proactive measures. Understand that telling others is a necessary process to ensure that your child does not get it back again. Your child came in contact with head lice somewhere and will surely spread it to others by the time you realize your child even has it. Treating your children and then returning them to a possible lice-infested environment would only be asking for trouble. Communicate with your friends and help put an end to this never-ending cycle.
Information taken from Lice Solutions RN website
and the CDC
