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Head Lice Treatments - What You Need To Know
• Don't Panic About Head Lice - Unfortunately, the first reaction for many parents in dealing with head lice is to panic. Panicking is not going to kill the head lice though and will likely lead to over-treatment and anxiety in your child who may be concerned that they have "bugs" in their hair.
• Nits hatch in 7 to 10 days and develop into an adult in another 7 to 10 days which can then lay more eggs. So it is important to remove all of the nits to break this cycle. Also, since anti-lice shampoos don't usually kill nits, you have to usually retreat the child in 7 to 10 days to kill any newly hatched head lice. Many experts now recommend doing your second head lice treatment on day 9 though.
• Children are often misdiagnosed with head lice because they have hair casts that resemble nits, or they have dead or empty nits that are far away from the scalp. If you think your child has lice but you don't actually see any live head lice, see your pediatrician to confirm the diagnosis.
• You shouldn't usually have to shave your child's head to get rid of head lice.
• Be careful before trying 'alternative' treatments, like mayonaise, vaseline, olive oil or Tea tree oil. Although they are 'natural' treatments, they are untested, and products like mayonaise can be hard to get out of a child's hair (dishwashing liquid is supposed to make it easier though).
• Alternative medications for resistant lice can include Ovide (malathion, an insecticide) and Lindane. Although not approved by the FDA as lice treatments, Elimite, a stronger version of Nix which is usually used to treat scabies, Crotamiton (Eurax), Ivermectim, and the antibiotic Bactrim (which kills symbiotic bacteria inside the lice), are sometimes used to treat resistant lice.
• Ulesfia (Benzyl Alcohol Lotion 5%) is approved to treat children over six months of age with head lice. Unlike other head lice shampoos which are mostly pesticides, Ulesfia is a water-soluble gel that works to suffocate head lice.
• The AAP now advises that 'no healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice' and of course, they are still against no-nit policies that keep kids out of school because they simply have nits in their hair.
• Do your homework or see your pediatrician before treating your child with multiple remedies. This head lice information sheet at the Harvard School of Public Health and theThe National Pediculosis Association are great sources for more information on head lice infestations.
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