Lice An All-Out Attack to Clear the Hair

An All-Out Attack to Clear the Hair

Yes, any child--even yours--can get a case of lice. And, no, it does not necessarily mean that your child is unclean. Lice, in fact, are almost as easy for kids to get as the common cold. There's a potential for lice whenever children are in a group.

''About 10 million cases of head lice occur each year, and three-quarters of them are in children under the age of 12,'' says Edward DeSimone, Ph.D., a pharmacist and associate professor of pharmacy and administrative and social sciences in the School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions at Creighton University in Omaha.

The first clue that your child may have lice is an itchy scalp. But to see the real evidence, you have to take a close look at your child's head. While you seldom see the lice themselves, their eggs, or nits, are easily visible. These grayish-white oval eggs attach firmly to the hair shaft. They're tiny, about the size of a sesame seed, and won't wash or blow off, as a flake of skin would.

Effective remedies are as near as the corner drugstore. Here's what the experts suggest you do.

Offer reassurance. Battling lice does require some time and effort, but approach the problem calmly so your child doesn't panic or feel ashamed. Explain to your child what lice are and how you're going to get rid of them, suggests Dr. DeSimone. Be sure to assure your child that you don't blame her for getting lice, he says.

Buy an OTC head-lice product. You can banish the invaders with many over-the-counter products such as RID, A-200, R & C and NIX, says Dr. DeSimone. ''All these products are similar,'' he explains. ''They're either a combination of two chemicals--pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide--working together or they contain a synthetic pyrethrin.'' The products come in shampoo, liquid or gel form.

The instructions on the package should be followed explicitly because all of these products are pesticides, says Dr. DeSimone. (And experts advise against buying lice sprays because they expose your child to too much pesticide.

Consider a trim. Although it's not necessary to cut a child's hair just because she has lice, shorter hair can be easier to deal with, says Deborah Altschuler, president and cofounder of the National Pediculosis Association in Newton, Massachusetts, and adjunct assistant professor of preventive medicine and biometrics at the Uniformed Services University, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. Remember, however, you cannot take a child with lice to a barber or hairdresser.

Wash hair over the sink. This way you can confine treatment to the scalp, says Altschuler. You don't want to use lice products in the shower, where the rinsed-off solution can cascade over the body. ''These products are pesticides and should be used with caution,'' she says.

Before you begin, remove your child's shirt and provide a small towel to cover her face. If the product gets in your child's eyes, flush them thoroughly with water right away. Don't be alarmed if some mild skin irritation and itching results from the lice killer, however, and don't mistake this itching for reinfestation.

Be a nitpicker. The lice product will kill the lice, but not all the nits, says Mary Meland, M.D., a pediatrician with HealthPartners in Bloomington, Minnesota. ''The more nits you can remove, the less likelihood there is of a recurrence a couple of weeks later,'' says Dr. Meland. Also you won't run the risk of mistaking an old nit for a new nit, adds Altschuler.

For nit removal, use a nit removal comb. While there will be a comb packaged with the lice-control product, some work better than others. If the comb is not effective, you can remove the nits with a pair of baby safety scissors (with rounded ends) to cut off the hair that has nits attached.

After the delousing treatment, when your child's hair is dry or only slightly damp, comb it out, then use an old toothbrush and water to remove the nits from the nit comb. If your child used a towel or bathrobe, pop these items into a hot-water wash right away, along with any clothes he was wearing before the treatment, then dry them in a hot dryer.

Treat everyone who's infested at the same time. It only takes one little louse to infest a child (they lay up to ten eggs a day), and lice can easily spread from one person to another. So to get rid of these critters you need to examine everyone in the household for signs of lice, says Altschuler, and treat those who are infested.

Make a clean sweep. Once you've detected the lice and treated your children, you need to tend to the household. First, gather up everything washable that has come in contact with your child's head. ''This means hats, scarves, hooded coats, hair bands and any clothing your child may have worn in the past few days,'' says Altschuler. Enlist your child's cooperation in doing this. Don't forget sheets, pillowcases and towels. Wash all items in hot water and dry in a hot dryer.

What you can't wash, you can vacuum or send to the dry cleaners. Vacuum sofas, sofa pillows, mattresses and rugs (especially around the beds), and then put the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and throw it away. To clean combs and brushes, soak them in hot (not boiling) water for ten minutes.

Take care of Teddy. Yes, the stuffed animals your child hugs and plays with also have to be treated. You can carefully vacuum your child's favorite animals so she'll have them to keep her company, and pop the rest into a large plastic trash bag. Seal the bag tightly with a twist-tie and put the bagged toys away where your child can't get at them.

Generally, lice can't survive off the scalp for more than 24 hours, but it takes the eggs 7 to 10 days to hatch. Therefore, keep the bag sealed for 14 days, says Dr. DeSimone. ''After that time, any lice or nits that may have been on the toys will be dead,'' he says. Any items such as headphones that can't be thoroughly washed or vacuumed should be given the same two-weeks-in-a-bag treatment, according to Dr. DeSimone. Just be sure to keep all bagged items away from small children because of the hazard of choking.

Check daily. Inspect every child in your house for nits every day for at least seven to ten days after treatment, in case you missed a few. ''Check for nits throughout the hair, but pay particular attention to behind the ears and the nape of the neck,'' says Dr. Meland. If you see new evidence of lice, you'll need to give your child another lice treatment. However, ''If you need a second treatment, it should be given seven to ten days after the first treatment,'' says Dr. DeSimone.

It's a good idea to make nit-checking part of a regular daily routine even after the lice are long gone, to watch for recurrences. It's easier to vanquish lice if you catch them early.

Teach your child not to share everything. All it takes is one hitchhiking louse to make its way from a hat or brush onto another child. '' We all want our children to share their belongings,'' says Dr. DeSimone. ''But children should be taught never to share combs, brushes, hats, hair ornaments and head-phones.'' Explain to your children why they shouldn't share these items, and make sure each child has his own comb and brush. In fact, your child should have an extra comb and extra brush to take along to school so he won't be tempted to borrow them.