With Head Lice, Persistence not Panic Keys Treatment

It's a monster--in your hair. Photo by Eran Finkle

It’s not actually as bad as having lice, but researching and writing this article has made my head itch for two hours. It’s also reminded me of the last time I really worried about these parasites, standing in a long hallway with my third-grade classmates, waiting for a dreaded lice-check. The woman with the blue nurse’s cap and plastic gloves seemed grumpier than usual, probably because this was invariably her riskiest day on the job. While the small brown and gray critters most often inhabit kids’ scalps, they really don’t discriminate. Luckily that day my friends and I were all clear, but then my head rarely felt itchier— not even when I actually had lice—than when I stood in that line.

After primary school, I forgot about head lice, assuming they had gone the way of nap time and teddy bears. Over the years, I heard so little about these creatures, I believed them purged from existence, but no: head lice are alive and thriving. In fact, a study in Cochrane Review says incidents of head lice have risen over the last 30 years; in London by as much as 1,000 percent in some areas according to the BBC.

I’m going to London next year, so that was eye opening, but not as surprising as the fact that people in their mid 20s and 30s (my demographic), are the second most likely group to get head lice—often because they either have young kids or spend a lot of time with them. I’m hoping to teach in London, or at least I was.
On a positive note, the true danger lice actually pose is limited. No current research indicates they are capable of transmitting diseases, and the most serious problem they cause results from sores developed when people compulsively scratch their heads. That said, if memory serves me correctly, these pests are incredibly irritating—something no child or adult wants—and often hard to get rid of.

It’s not easy to find out why children get lice more often than adults, but the best explanation I found comes from kidshealth.org, which states that youngsters share more than adults (girls get lice more often than boys, presumably meaning girls really are nicer). Of course sharing is generally a good trait, but lice, which cannot fly or jump, move from person to person by head-to-head contact or on articles of clothing like hats and scarves. Passing these items back and forth is therefore something you want to discourage.

If you believe a child or an adult you’re responsible for has a lice infestation, don’t worry. It’s probably not your fault, and you’re not alone. The Center for Disease Control estimates as many as 12 million people in the United States are affected by lice every year. The best way to check for these creatures is with a fine toothed steel comb. The most important places to look are the nape of the neck and around the ears, and you may want to use a magnifying glass as the small yellow louse egg (also known as a nit) and the adolescent bloodsuckers are both hard to see. The fully grown louse is the size of a small seed, has six legs, a large abdomen, and a faint resemblance to the Alien from the movie of the same title.

Once the presence of lice is confirmed, the CDC suggests several steps on their treatment page. First and foremost, you’ll want to use an anointment or medically treated shampoo to attack the lice and their eggs. Permethrin lotion 1% and Pyrethrins are over the counter treatments that can work, but you can also consult your health care provider for prescription medicines, as some lice have developed immunities. You may have to use these medications twice as no treatment is guaranteed to be 100 percent effective; just be careful to read instructions carefully, as some treatments carry dangers themselves. Certain sources, like pediatrics.about.com, suggest only treating lice with medication if live specimen, not just empty eggs (they are empty when clear) are uncovered. As an additional precaution, you’ll also want to manually and carefully remove the lice with a comb.

Family members should be checked for lice, and you’ll want to wash clothes and bedding that could be infested on ‘hot’: the CDC says 5 minutes at 128.3 degrees should kill all lice and their eggs. Items that can’t be washed can be kept in an air tight bag for two days, as lice, which survive on a human head for up to nine days, can’t last more than two without a meal of human blood.

All sources agree that it’s not worth panicking about lice, but whether you’re a first grader waiting in line for an inspection or simply a parent with young kids, it’s a good idea to know what you’re looking for, and what you can do to get rid of lice. Paranoia also won’t help, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a steel-toothed comb and magnifying glass.