What is Head Lice?
Head lice are tiny greyish insects that live in hair and feed on the scalp. Head lice eggs are called nits. These can be seen stuck to the base of the hair shaft. They hatch in 7-10 days and the lice live about 3 weeks. The empty nits are white and remain glued to the hair.
Who Gets Head Lice?
Anyone can get head lice, but it is especially common in young children. Lice tend to spread rapidly in schools and families as spread involves head to head contact as well as sharing of articles such as brushes, hats etc. Head lice can only transfer from one head to another if there is contact or on brushes etc as they are unable to fly or jump! Lice affect both clean and dirty hair - an infection is not a reflection of hygiene standards!
Signs of Head Lice and Detection
Head scratching due to an itchy scalp is a common sign of head lice, although by the time the irritation begins the lice may have been present for some time. This means that checking childrens hair regularly is important. A visual inspection is done by using a fine toothed lice comb (available from your pharmacy) and combing the hair through in sections over a white piece of paper. Head lice can be seen on the paper as dark oval specks.
Nits may be seen stuck to the hair, normally near the scalp and often around the ears and nape of the neck. They stick hard to the hair follicle and are not easily removed. (This makes them easy to distinguish from flakes of dandruff which brush away easily).
Head Lice Treatment
Various products are available for the treatment of head lice and our pharmacists will be able to recommend one which suits your needs. With all head lice treatment products it is important to closely follow instructions and to repeat treatment in 7-10 days. The whole family should be checked for head lice on the same day using the fine toothed combing method described above and treated if signs of lice are present.
It is also important to change bed linen and towels on the same day as head lice treatment is used. These should be washed on a hot wash cycle. All brushes, combs etc should be either boiled for 10 minutes or soaked in a dilute bleach solution for an hour.
Prevention of Head Lice
The best way to prevent becoming infected with head lice is to avoid contact with other peoples hair! Children should be taught not to share hats, scarves, hair brushes, hair accessories etc.
Childrens hair should be checked on a weekly basis using the fine toothed combing method so that if head lice are present treatment can be used quickly. This will help to prevent the spread of lice to other family members.