How to prevent lice during the school year

Meighan Dingle Blanco
Posted 10/10/18

Back to school brings our children all kinds of new routines and responsibilities. And while we welcome their academic growth, back to school also brings germs, bugs, and other microscopic unwelcome …

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How to prevent lice during the school year

Posted

Back to school brings our children all kinds of new routines and responsibilities. And while we welcome their academic growth, back to school also brings germs, bugs, and other microscopic unwelcome visitors. One of which is head lice (pediculosis capitis).

I know, your head is itchy just thinking about it. Mine too.

Good news is that head lice is not a sign of poor hygiene or filth, and unlike body lice, they do not carry disease. But head lice is an itchy nuisance. A nuisance that none of us have time for. So let’s talk a little bit about what head lice is and the best ways to prevent it so hopefully you never have to treat it.

The head louse (pediculus humanus capitis) is a parasite that feeds off of human blood to stay alive. Lice (the plural of louse) spend their entire short lives on a human since they have short legs and are unable to jump and cannot fly. However, they have large claws which help them hang on well to strands of hair (both clean and dirty!) and subsequently move quickly up and down hair strands. This makes close head/hair contact a very easy way for them to move from one person to another.

Lice are like little grey vampires that can turn reddish from feeding on your blood. The female head louse lays eggs. About three or four per day. They like to lay eggs fairly close to the scalp, though interestingly, in a warmer climate the eggs are further down the hair shaft because the scalp is too hot. Anyway, these eggs are tan colored until they hatch, then they are empty and appear white and are no longer referred to as eggs but as nits. From the time the eggs are positioned on the hair shaft until hatching tends to take about nine days. And the nit will stay in place until physically removed or it slowly disintegrates.

So how can you keep these pesky parasites from taking up residence on your scalp? Teach children not to share helmets, hats, combs, and brushes. Avoid close contact with those who have lice. Regular scalp checks are also crucial for early detection, quick treatment, and isolation. If lice does make its way into your hair or the hair of a loved one, the preferred method of treatment is over the counter 1% permethrin coupled with nit removal, regular scalp checks for everyone in the household, drying pillowcases, hats, carseat covers, and bed linens on high (lice can survive in water for up to two hours so washing is not enough), and re-treatment on days 9 and 18 if needed.

Freeze brushes for two days to ensure they are clean. It is also important not to scratch if you can help it. Consistent scratching can cause open wounds which leave your scalp vulnerable to infections. Should your fight against head lice seem unproductive, you should contact your dermatologist as you may have a resistant case which may require a prescription medication such as Spinosad or topical Ivermectin. There are also local treatment centers that guarantee successful treatment of the scalp.

Lice Clinics of America use a three-step program that includes non-pesticide medications and a lice removal machine called Airalle that uses heat to kill the lice and eggs. Bernadettes Lice Removal Center also uses non-pesticide products. It is important to note that personal and household items will still need treatment even if you visit a local center.

Meighan Dingle Blanco, FNP-BC is a nurse practitioner with South County Dermatology.

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