Head Lice
Head lice are parent's nightmare in the shape of a tiny, wingless parasitic insect scuttling in-between their children's hair feeding on small amounts of blood from their scalps. Although the idea of head lice seems disgusting it is actually a very common problem especially for children between three and twelve years and more common in girls than boys.
Lice are not actually dangerous, but they are highly contagious and extremely irritating. Their biting can cause a child's scalp to become itchy and inflamed and with persistent scratching there may be skin irritation and even infection.
Searching your child for head lice is not that difficult. The first thing you look for is lice eggs called nits. These look like little yellow, tan or brown dots. Lice lay nits on the surface, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can't be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp. Lice eggs hatch within one to two weeks after they're laid.
After the nits have hatched they become nymphs and within two weeks they are adult lice. While some people have no symptoms, most people will have some or all of the following symptoms; frequent feeling of something moving in the hair, and an itchy scalp with red sores which look infected.
As the lice can not fly, they are spread for head-to-head contact or by sharing things such as hairbrushes and pillows. Pets will not spread head lice.
Medicated shampoo will kill head lice but if your child is under the age of two years you should not use the shampoo. You have to physically go through the hair using a wet fine-tooth comb every two days for at least two weeks after the last of the head lice or eggs has been seen.
As long as you keep an eye on your child head lice should not be a problem. Keep your child's hair clean and keep your child away from children who have head lice.
Sources:
http://www.healthy-skin-guide.com/head-lice-pictures.html
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/headlice/ig/Head-Lice-Pictures/Head-Lice-Life-Cycle-Stages.htm
http://www.skinsight.com/child/pediculosisCapitisHeadLice.htm
Last Edited: 2010-01-06
