Pediculosis in children

Even perfect hygiene does not guarantee lice safety. How to detect, protect and fight when they have already invaded the hair? What is better - grandmother's recipes, chemical products sold in pharmacies, or 100% natural products? We study the existing arsenal of lice control and measures for their prevention. So, how to treat pediculosis in children: drugs.

Causes of Pediculosis

Lice are tiny insects that parasitize a person’s hair. They need blood for food and hair to multiply. Lice lay eggs on the hair, which are called nits. The life span of lice is 6 to 8 weeks, and the reproductive ability is up to 10 nits per day, which makes them formidable parasites.

More than 42% of respondents in a public opinion poll think that the presence of lice is the result of poor hygiene. However, dermatologists claim that purity and lice have nothing in common. Anyone can get lice no matter how clean or dirty he is, his hair is short or long. And the more pediculosis does not depend on age. However, it is assumed that children have a much higher risk of lice during school or kindergarten. Adults and children with lush mop of hair are also most susceptible to pest attacks.

Contrary to another widely accepted misconception, lice do not jump, but they are very good at swimming and can easily stand for four hours under water. They are transmitted by direct contact of heads, swimming in the pool, through the exchange of such items as a scarf, hat and sweater, when using infected bedding.

Having found out the causes of pediculosis, let's talk about control measures and its prevention.

Pediculosis treatment methods in children

Itching and itchy head are the first signs of infection. Lice are usually localized in the hairline at the base of the neck and behind the ears. However, to be effective, a head examination should be carried out in full. While adults are difficult to detect due to their microscopic size, it is much easier to distinguish between nits. They are gray-white, oval-shaped, look a little sticky and are difficult to separate from the hair.

To remove nits, you must use a comb or comb with very small and frequent teeth, which must be carried out from root to tip of the hair. The operation is facilitated with slightly damp hair.

The treatment of pediculosis in both children and adults has a dual purpose and is aimed at removing nits and lice. For this you can use two types of tools:

• drugs that have insecticidal chemical action;
• means based on mechanical asphyxiation.

The chemical method is to use insecticides. These products are contraindicated in children under 30 months and pregnant women. Chemical pest control agents are presented in the form of shampoos, lotions, and sprays. Please note that shampoos should be used in combination with lotion. Follow the instructions carefully, otherwise decontamination will fail.

Lice breathe through the body. It is this feature that underlies the treatment of mechanical stress. It is carried out using oils or silicone compounds that block the respiratory tract lice, which leads to their death. After treatment, it remains to comb the dead insects from the hair. The composition of these funds include natural products such as walnut oil or coconut. There are also preparations based on silicone compounds.

To achieve effectiveness, hair treatment should be repeated every 2 weeks. Pediculosis treatment using the mechanical method has two obvious advantages:

• unlike insecticides, such products are non-toxic;
• with the use of stifling agents, lice do not develop addiction and resistance to the ingredients of the drug.

When treating pediculosis at home and using shampoos and lotions containing insecticides, the following steps should be followed:

1. Apply pest lotion to hair.
2. Slowly comb the lice with a thick comb.
3. Wash hair thoroughly with louse shampoo.
4. Repeat the procedure after two days to eliminate the pests that survived the first treatment.
5. Do not use this type of lice remedy if you have open wounds.
6. If two days after the start of treatment, the lice appear again, then after ten days, treat the hair with another means.

Please note: you use toxic products! Keep remedies against pediculosis out of the reach of children.

Preventive measures

Prevention of pediculosis requires, above all, readiness to combat the pest, which implies its early detection. Regularly inspect the hair and scalp of children attending preschool institutions, schools, camps, or sports sections, where there are conditions conducive to the spread of lice. In the event of infection, you must quickly report the problem to prevent spread. You should also take the following measures:

• If you find lice in one child, do not forget to conduct a survey on the subject of lice members of the whole family, because you need to treat all.
• After the treatment with special means, make sure that the lice are gone. One week after treatment, check for lice or nits in the baby.
• It is recommended to disinfect clothes and bedding that were in direct contact with an infected person: wash them at 60 ° C with insecticide-containing powder, disinfect combs and brushes.

So, lice do not live under the skin on the head of a person - they are insect parasites of an external nature. They parasitize only on the person, and they are distributed to them. Their habitat is human hair and clothing. Lice do not jump and do not fly, infection occurs only through direct contact with an infected object.