Oh no, my child has lice?!  This is heard multiple times over the course of a school year from parents of schoolchildren.  But it’s okay. Or it will be. 

First of all.  Having a kid with lice does not make you a bad parent, or dirty, or uncaring.  It happens to all kinds of people from all classes. If you have a child in grade school, you’re at risk.  

What are lice, anyway?

Lice are small parasites that use the human scalp in part of their life cycle.  The ones you see crawling around are the adult lice. The little white things stuck to hair are the eggs, or nits.

Do they do anything besides make the scalp itch?  

Not really.  Although scratching the head too much can hurt the skin.

How did they get it?

Lice cannot jump!  You get lice from touching your head with someone else who has lice.  So selfies with your bestie? Not a great idea. It is possible to get it from using someone’s comb, hat, or hoodie, or lying on a couch they’ve recently been on, but not common.

Lice only live on humans, not other animals.  You cannot get lice from your pet.

How is it treated?

Unfortunately the OTC treatments really don’t work anymore.  If you want to try one, that’s fine, but if you’re still seeing lice moving around by two days, then call your pediatrician for a prescription.  Be sure to follow the directions on the label for how long to keep in on, and how to wash it out. Be aware that conditioner can prevent the medicine from working, so don’t condition your hair in the day before, and a few days after treatment.  Most products have you retreat after the eggs may have hatched-about 9 days.

Some products have you comb out nits.  Nits farther than ¼ inch from the scalp are most likely not alive anymore, but you can go ahead and comb them out, too.

What about my house, and the clothing?

Lice really don’t live very long if they’re not near a nice warm scalp and some hair to hold onto.  However, it does help to wash the last few days’ clothing and sheets in hot water. Things that can’t be washed can be dry cleaned, or put in plastic bags for two weeks.  You can vacuum the areas the person spends the most time in.

Bottom Line.

Lice are gross and scary.  Many children get lice once or twice in their school career.  If you take a breath, follow the directions on the treatment bottle, and do a little washing, you’ll be fine.