Congratulations,
you've got lice!
Said no one ever. Lice went around at our church starting last Christmas and it took into the summer months to get rid of it! My grown up Christmas wish this year is to not have an annual epidemic.
Reality
Check #1
-Yes
it is a blood sucking parasite on
my child's head
(or on your head: I'm sorry.)
-Yes,
it feels gross and/or uncomfortable.
-Yes,
it is an urgent inconvenience that you aren't allowed in most schools
or Primary if you have it or have had it recently. (They're try to
prevent spreading it around.)
Because
of the lice life cycle, treatments are expected to take at least a
month before you can be declared lice-free. But even if you have
super lice (the kind resistant to over-the-counter drugs) YOU HAVE
OPTIONS!
You've
heard that the only sure things in life are death and taxes right?
But with something like lice you'd like to KNOW you're lice-free and
stay that way. And if you're like me at all, you don't want to wait a
month while avoiding any unnecessary contact with anyone outside your
own household.
But
before you think seriously about shaving anyone's head (because we
can't really light anyone's hair on fire, even if we want to), I'm
going to send you on an inexpensive shopping trip and then one by one
try to calm all your fears.
What
you need to know, Part 1: Life cycle
Eggs
take about a week to hatch and then another week to grow up enough
(molt 3 times) to lay more eggs. If it looks like clear, unmoving
dandruff, it's a nit. If it's a dark brown looking nit, it's actually
a newly hatched nymph.
Source
to know more: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/biology.html
What
you need to know, Part 2: The Good News
- They don't carry disease.
- They can only crawl.
- They cannot survive 24 hours away from their food source.
- Even ones resistant to permethrin (the OTC stuff), will die from suffocation (the Cetaphil method.)
- You can guarantee you don't have lice quickly and effectively using the Shepherd's Method for nit removal.Unlike mosquitoes etc. lice don't carry diseases so having them doesn't get you sick. If you had a bad case and did nothing to treat it you could get open sores from them biting and you scratching, which may invite infection from other sources.
No,
they cannot jump or fly, only crawl. The only way you can get
it is for my child's head (or something that has touched her head) to
touch yours. Or for a parent and child to hug. I understand it's
uncomfortable and a bit scary to deal with lice so I won't judge you
if you choose not to have play dates or give hugs for a while. Just
remember during this time to be extra kind to yourself and others.
Even weird looks a whispered conversations can leave a lasting
impression.
The
bugs and their eggs cannot
survived 24 hours away from their food source.
In
addition to starvation, lice die from old age, suffocation, and some
chemicals sometimes. They
also get killed with enough heat. They hate dry heat the most. The
eggs don't like getting cold either so they die due to temperature
and lack of food when they're not near the scalp.
Because
lice don't survive well when away from a human scalp (due to death by
starvation), it's harder and therefore a lot less likely for you to
get reinfected simply because you didn't clean your house enough. And
because lice can only crawl, that means it's hard for you to get lice
from simple sitting where another lice victim sat. It doesn't hurt
to throw all pillows and bedding in the dryer for 1 cycle. Stuffed
animals that can't take the heat should be bagged for 3 weeks (this
ensures that regardless of where they're at in they're life cycle,
all lice will be dead.)
What
is “the Cetaphil Treatment”?
For
scientific backing and research go here:
http://nuvoforheadlice.com/test/
For
an explanation from one experienced mom (not me) to another:
http://www.hiveandnest.com/2012/11/how-to-get-rid-of-lice.html
What
is the Shepherd's Method?
Did
you know there are such things as professional nit pickers? They're
costly and you may have to drive a ways to find one, but these crazy
saints are out there. My sister in law's best friend in NY is one and
she warned that not all professionals are created equal. “If you go
to one, make sure they use the Shepherd's method,” she warns. This
method basically means combing through the entire head of hair just a
few hairs at a time; when you're done you'll know you're lice-free
because you have completely removed all signs of lice. Want to know
more? Go to Dr. Shepherd's official website here:
http://www.shepherdinstitute.com/new-page/
Got
more questions still? Try this IL nitpickers' website:
http://www.thenitpickers.com/faq.html#aboutlice8
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