Have you noticed your child scratching their head lately? Do they complain of an itchy and irritated scalp? Maybe you are concerned they might have a head lice problem but are thinking it could just be something you can ignore? Won’t the head lice just die off on their own?
Answer: NO!
Head lice need to be treated effectively to take care of the problem. Here is why head lice won’t just fade away with time.
Head Lice Are Extremely Contagious
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6-12 million children in the United States will have a case of head lice this year alone. Most of these children are between the ages of 3-10. That means that any older kids, adults or elderly people sharing a home with these children are also at a much higher risk for infection. It is rare that only one person in a household will contract lice once it is initially brought into the home.
Head lice are most commonly passed on through direct head to head contact. A hug, sharing a book together on the couch, taking a picture or just watching your favorite TV show together in a recliner are all ways head lice can be easily passed on from family members. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not checking everyone in the family for head lice. If you do not, the problem will just continue to be passed along from person to person until you eventually have everyone treated.
Understand the Life Cycle of Head Lice
The average life cycle of a louse is 30 days. Once lice find their way onto a human host they begin to lay eggs. Females become fully mature after about two weeks. At this point, they will lay up to 10 eggs per day on a scalp. The nits, or eggs, will take 7-9 days to hatch. As those nymphs or young head lice mature they will molt several different times while they grow and develop into adults. Each female that matures will then began laying up to 10 eggs per day as well. You can see how the problem could escalate quickly. To think that head lice will just die off on their own is absolutely false.
Head Lice are Not Controlled by Hygiene or Home Remedies
Head lice have the unique ability to hold their breath for up to 8 hours. Because of this regular shampooing and water does not have an effect on the head lice. Not to mention that nits are stuck to hair strands with a glue-like secretion that makes them hard to remove. Simply rinsing the hair out or washing the hair out will not eliminate the eggs either. According to MedicoRx home remedies such as trying to suffocate the head lice with mayonnaise are not effective options because of their ability to hold their breath so long. These things simply will not work and the problem will escalate.
Nitpicking can be a grueling process
While nitpicking is an encouraged way to make sure that lice do not return, it is not effective in eliminating a problem initially. For a human to go through every strand of hair and find every nit or louse it is almost impossible to be 100% accurate. Dandruff, skin flakes from dry skin or shampooing residue can leave white flakes that look similar to nits. Therefore, it is difficult sometimes for parents to even identify what the nits are and what are not. Nitpicking is encouraged to determine if you have a problem with head lice. It is not an effective tool to completely defeat head lice at home by yourself.
Here’s How We Can Help
Lice Clinics of Texas take great pride in the fact that we help our customers get rid of their head lice once and for all. Why go through weeks of torment if head lice are just going to return with home remedies or over-the-counter products that don’t work? We offer the latest technology in head lice removal at affordable prices that will be well worth your time and money. Contact our offices today to schedule your appointment with a professional who knows how to help you with your head lice problem.