Head Lice: What Parents Need to Know

Mother checking her daughter’s hair for lice.
Photo by goodluz for Shutterstock

As parents, you want nothing more than protect your children from potential dangers. This means learning all about various threats they might encounter on a day-to-day basis.

If you have a young child in an early grade level, they are likely at a higher risk of obtaining head lice from a classmate or a school-wide infestation. Lice, while not dangerous, are some of the most frustrating, uncomfortable things to deal with.

That’s why it’s important for parents everywhere to know the symptoms that accompany lice, as well as how lice should be professionally treated.

Causes of Spreading

There are many ways that head lice can spread from person to person. It could be as quick as a hug, or an infestation could be aided when people share clothing, hair brushes, hats, pillows, or blankets.

Lice can spread and make a home for themselves in your children’s hair in short periods of time, putting the rest of your home at risk. If you have checked your child’s head and have found live lice and nits, put your hair up and alert the rest of your family members. Avoid sharing any of the aforementioned items above and notify your child’s teacher and school nurse ASAP. You can do so anonymously if you wish.

Symptoms

Although you might immediately associate itching with head lice, not every child will feel the urge to scratch when their scalp becomes infested. Many people automatically associate a ferociously itchy scalp with a case of head lice. The discomfort comes from a reaction of the skin from the biting that occurs from with full-grown lice.

Just because your child isn’t itching doesn’t mean they are in the clear. You should still check their heads routinely to be sure. Keep an eye out for any scabs on their heads from the biting. If they are experiencing itching or other physical discomforts, or if they seem tired and more irritable, they could not be sleeping well because of lice and need lice removal.

Treatment Complications

If you find that your child has lice, they need to seek professional treatment right away. Over-the-counter methods don’t work anymore, nor do you want them anywhere near your children’s heads. They are full of chemicals and pesticides that can cause chemical burns, and they might not even eradicate the lice for good.

In the state of Texas, there have been confirmed cases of a new strain of lice. “Super lice” have evolved and mutated to resist the components of over-the-counter treatments that are supposed to eliminate them. The same goes for do-it-yourself methods; mayonnaise is no longer the go-to trick! Things like that will only take care of the live lice, not the nits. If you don’t take care of the nits, you will wind up dealing with a recurring infestation.

Parents, we know that lice can be scary, especially if you have never dealt with them before. And we know you just want to protect your kids! That’s why you need to get them professional treatment for lice. To find more information, visit the website of Dallas-Fort Worth Lice Treatment Resource Center today.