Lice in children: it’s not a sign of bad hygiene! How to delete them.

Lice are mum and dad’s bogeyman especially if they have invaded the little head of a little girl with long and thick hair. It takes time to identify them, treat them, eliminate them and hours of work to disinfect the house to avoid contagion.

Many parents mistakenly think that having a child with lice is something to be ashamed of. Lice are in no way a sign of bad hygiene! Let’s dispel once and for all this myth that often makes so many children uncomfortable.

How does lice spread?

Lice don’t fly or jump like fleas.

Contagion can therefore occur in two ways:

• by direct contact , from one child’s hair to another child’s hair. Kindergarten and primary schools are often an important point of diffusion: small children are very affectionate, especially girls, because they often hug each other, and this facilitates transmission.
• by indirect contact through the exchange of combs, caps, pillows, scarves, etc.

The warning signs

How to understand that your child has lice? One of the main symptoms is itching. the child scratches his head frequently. Unfortunately, although this symptom is common, it is not premature and can appear even after a few weeks of permanence of the lice in the hair, that is when the scalp becomes sensitized to the insect’s saliva.

For this reason it is always important to check the child’s hair once a week in those periods in which it is more common (spring and autumn) or in any case throughout the school year.

Just check carefully the areas behind and above the ears or the neck, where they settle more frequently: here you can clearly see the nits, the eggs of the lice , elongated in shape, firmly attached to the hair (they do not detach easily unlike the dandruff). They have a brownish-white color and are translucent.

To detach them you will see that you have to literally pull them out of your hair.

How to get rid of lice?

Lice live about 4 weeks in the scalp and each female in her life cycle can lay about 300 eggs which hatch in about ten days. In short, they are quick to create a real army. For this reason, the best prevention is frequent checks, especially if your child is subject to lice or you know that there are cases of contagion at school, or if your child has been in contact with a child who has had them.

Whenever you find a nit there is probably at least one louse nearby that needs to be eliminated.

Mothers and fathers should be more collaborative in this sense, not be ashamed to say that their child has got lice and notify the parents of their child’s companions to check them in time. In this way, a rapid and annoying spread can be avoided.

There are several treatments on the market and those that work well are often also aggressive for the skin.

The ministerial circular no. 4 of 13 March 1998 provides for the following treatments

“The disinfesting treatment, consisting in the application of medicated shampoos containing 1% permethrin or pyrethrins associated with piperonyl-butoxide, or benzyl benzoate or other insecticides, must be periodically repeated every 7-10 days for at least a month. Combs and brushes should be immersed in hot water for 10 minutes and/or washed with antiparasitic shampoo. “

Currently effective on the market we find natural pyrethrins , natural insecticides produced by some species of chrysanthemums. They are considered to be among the least toxic insecticides available for human use. In any case, the pediatrician or your trusted pharmacist will be able to advise you on the most suitable remedy.

Once the treatment has been done according to the specific indications of the product, it’s not over.

You have to pass the child’s hair with a  specific comb for lice that you buy at the pharmacy. It is a comb with very dense teeth that manages to detach the nits and collect any lice still present after the treatment. You have to go strand by strand starting from the root: painstaking work if it’s a little girl with long hair, faster if the hair is short or very short.

The whole treatment should be repeated 7-10 days later.

The house and the lice

When it is discovered that a member of one’s family has lice, the “house disinfestation” operation begins.

Lice that are not found in the cuopio cappelluto die after 24-48 hours of permanence in the open air.

Then wash everything in hot water or dry clean (the ones that can’t be washed), or put them in the open air for 2 days.

Wash brushes and combs very well, immersing them in hot water for 10 minutes and with shampoo.

Since lice often appear in a period when the climatic conditions are not favourable, lice in the house often rhymes with the “festival” of the washing machine.

Everything is washed: sheets, blankets, pillows, carpets, towels, sofas and so on and so forth. In short, all the fuss they cause is a valid reason to hate lice deeply.

Be careful not to show this hatred too blatantly to children because they may feel guilty. Don’t make them feel bad about getting lice in any way.