What is pediculosis? This is a parasitic lesion of the human skin, caused by lice. Most people mistakenly believe that pediculosis is a disease of the past. Of course, it has been known since ancient times and, as a rule, accompanied a person during a period of natural disasters, in wars, poverty and hunger. Nevertheless, pediculosis is still quite common today. Moreover, children are most susceptible to it. This happens in connection with the crowding that occurs in preschool institutions, schools, health camps and other similar collectives.
Some parents believe that it is enough only to take good care of the child, and no pediculosis threatens him. However, they are mistaken, because the infection with lice occurs mainly not so much due to the fact that personal hygiene rules are not followed, but because of the low immunity of the child. Thus, absolutely all children are at risk of pediculosis infection.
A bit about the insect
How long does lice live? The life cycle of these parasites is a little over three weeks. The term is rather short, however, the female manages to lay about a hundred eggs for this period. After young insects are born from them, after a week they also actively begin to multiply. That is why parents simply can not help but notice the parasites in the child, because every day their child will begin to itch more and more intensely.
The louse located in the hair of a person eats blood once every two to three hours. This process lasts for 40 minutes. However, a large loss of blood does not occur, the insect drinks its minimum amount. At the same time, 10-20 individuals can be on the head of a person. The remaining parasites have to leave their habitat. At the same time, they move onto the head of another person or crawl onto toys or things. How long does lice live outside the human body? When there is no food for the parasite, it dies within two days.
Infection pathways
Where do the blood-sucking parasites come from in children? The answer to this question is quite relevant. It will allow you to understand how to quickly remove lice, as well as how to prevent their reappearance.
The main reason for the development of head lice is contact with the carrier of the disease. An adult parasite is able to cover a distance of 35 cm in just one minute. That is why, in order to move from the head of one person to the head of another, he does not need so much time. Therefore, lice are easily transmitted between children in public places. So, during the school lesson, the parasite is able to "examine" almost the entire territory of the class. In this regard, it becomes absolutely clear where lice come from. The insect is also able to hide in the hood of a jacket or in a headdress. And if these wardrobe items are on the hanger next to the clothes of other children, then it will certainly begin its journey. And any child, taking his coat, in which the louse is hiding, will surely become infected with head lice.
Children can get sick by using a common gum, hair clips or comb. There is also danger for girls who like to exchange hats or scarves, trying them on themselves. It also becomes one of the causes of head lice.
Less commonly, insects are transmitted from person to person when they visit public places, namely baths, saunas and pools.
A completely normal picture for a school class or kindergarten is the following: one child shows the rest his new gadget or toy. At the same time, children surround him and watch the new thing. At this moment, their heads come into contact and pediculosis becomes infected.
Knowing the causes of this disease, fathers and mothers should not be ashamed of the fact that their child is sick. After all, the point here is not at all that he did not observe personal hygiene. Doctors confirm the fact that lice feel great in almost any environment. After all, if the hair is clean, then it is easier to fix the eggs (nits) of the insect on them, and pierce the washed skin with its proboscis to get fresh blood, in this case, parasites are much more convenient. Ideal conditions for active reproduction are also tangled and dirty curls. Indeed, in this case, it is easy to hide in them, masking the appearing itching from bites under the signs of seborrhea.
The hardest thing in this matter is the parents of girls. After all, lice are much easier to cling to long hair, and you will have to spend quite a lot of time getting rid of them.
Danger of pediculosis
Lice on the head of a child or an adult do not by themselves adorn ringlets. In addition, by their presence they cause significant discomfort and provoke the occurrence of diseases of the hair and skin. In addition to all this, insects pose a danger to human health in that they tolerate various ailments.
The argument that lice can infect AIDS or hepatitis is nothing more than a myth. And even in cases where the previous carrier had similar pathologies, viruses that got into the digestive system of the insect along with human blood are immediately split. Lice are capable of transmitting infectious diseases, namely relapsing or typhus. Moreover, the symptoms of infection appear much earlier than parasites are detected in human hair. The patient's temperature rises, yellowness or a pink rash appears throughout the body. All this accompanies a fever. Such symptoms are typical signs of typhoid. Moreover, a louse does not transmit a terrible infection at all when it feeds on human blood. Infection occurs only after the insect has been crushed. This provokes the ingress of infected blood into the wounds that remain on the scalp after a bite.
Manifestations of lice
How to quickly remove lice? Parents who suspect the presence of parasites in a child should contact a medical institution. Only here it is possible to diagnose a disease in its early stages, which will allow its treatment to begin in a timely manner. Dermatologists' rooms are equipped with special lamps that emit fluorescent light. How is the presence of parasites detected with this device? A beam of light from a lamp pointing onto the patient's hair dyes larvae and adults in blue. However, it is possible to detect blood-sucking insects at home. To do this, parents will need to carefully examine the hair of the child.
What are the signs of lice infection? The main ones are:
- Severe itching. This uncomfortable sensation arises in connection with the toxicity of the saliva of the parasite, which it releases after biting a person’s skin.
- The formation of papules, vesicles and erythema. They look like small reddish swelling or like blue (bluish) spots. The occurrence of such formations occurs in connection with the ingestion of parasite vital products on human skin.
- The appearance of nits. Inspecting the strands, parents can notice whitish scales on them, similar to oily dandruff. However, it is not possible to remove them from the hair. Nits are tightly attached to the hair shaft using a special adhesive substance produced by insect saliva. When removing such an egg from a strand, crush it with the nail plates of the fingers. Nit will make a distinctive sharp sound. Dead eggs will not “click”.
- The appearance of lice. With a careful examination of the hair, you can notice the movement of insects on the scalp. Parasites are in constant search for intact areas in order to get enough blood. The body of adults is yellow-brown in color and dullly gleams when a beam of light from a regular lamp is pointed at it.
- Scalp combs. Redness and swelling of adjacent areas indicates a bacterial infection that has joined pediculosis. In this case, the patient will need to conduct additional therapy.
Where to start treatment?
In prosperous families, many parents most often do not even allow the thought that their child may have lice. With complaints of itching, they wash the hair of their child once again. But these adults only facilitate the processes of their life activity by parasites.
If, in the end, lice and nits are found in the child, what should parents do in this case? In order to remove parasites, you will have to make some efforts. The fact is that a louse larva on a child’s head develops in a rather dense shell, into which not even one, even the most effective means can penetrate. And even a strong attack with insecticides does not prevent the parasites from developing fully.
If pediculosis is detected in children, treatment and prevention of its further appearance should begin with washing or boiling all the daily clothes of the child, which he wore the period when parasites were found in him. The same needs to be done with bedding.
When washing, you will need to set the water temperature to more than 60 degrees. How to kill a louse if this condition is impossible? Indeed, some manufacturers recommend a gentle mode for their products . If it is impossible to wash the clothes under the conditions necessary to eliminate parasites, it is recommended to pack them in a sealed bag for 3-4 days. Without contact with the skin, nits and lice will die in about 72 hours. After this, things will rinse in cool water. As for hard fabrics (carpets, trim chairs, sofas and bed), then the parasites do not settle in them. In this regard, they do not need to be processed. After washing, clothes must be ironed without fail.
Combing hair
If a child has lice, what should parents do to fix the problem? Good results are obtained by frequent combing of the hair, which is attributed to mechanical methods of eliminating pediculosis. But in order for such a procedure to be as effective as possible, it should be carried out correctly. Before combing nits and lice, it is necessary to rinse the hair with some acidic solution. It can be cranberry juice, apple or table vinegar, diluted in water until it reaches 1-2% concentration. Such a procedure will soften and partially dissolve the sticky substance with which lice eggs attach to the hair. To comb out the parasites must begin 15-20 minutes after rinsing.
How to remove lice at home in children mechanically? The procedure for combing out parasites must be carried out in compliance with certain rules:
- thick sheets of paper or light fabric should be spread under the hair;
- when combing, it is necessary to use a special comb for lice, which can be purchased either in a pharmacy or in a store selling hygiene items;
- all movements should be directed from the root to the ends of the strands;
- the lice comb will need to be constantly moistened, which will free it from parasites and nits accumulated between its cloves.
After combing, the fabric or paper that has been covered by insects should be folded and preferably burned.
Manual selection
Many parents think about how to kill a louse, seeing that the use of a scallop does not completely get rid of parasites. Indeed, no matter how thorough the combing, the nits will most likely remain on the hair. And they are a source of reinfection of the child. How to remove lice at home in children? The best mechanical way is manual selection of eggs and insects, after which they must be destroyed. How to kill a louse or nits? They should be crushed between the nails or lowered into a container filled with water. But it is worth keeping in mind that such a procedure will take a lot of time. In order for the child to stand it, he needs to be distracted by turning on his favorite cartoons or giving him an interesting book.
It is necessary to remove nits from areas located at the back of the head and at the temples. It is in these places where the most delicate and thin skin is located that lice are preferred. Parents will have a thorough inspection of each hair. When parasite eggs are detected, they are gradually shifted down. Similarly, you need to examine the entire head of the child.
Haircut
How to remove lice per day? To do this, you will need to apply the most reliable and radical way to combat pediculosis, which is also referred to as mechanical appearance. Cope with head lice in just one day will allow a haircut. Of course, this method is the most effective, but it is not suitable for everyone. It is unlikely that, for example, parents of girls will begin to apply it.
Pharmacological preparations
Using a mechanical method of combating parasites in the form of combing and manual selection is considered ineffective. The fact is that it is hardly possible to remove all nits from the head of a child. In the event that even only one larva remains in the hair, after 20 days the disease will recur.
How to remove lice and nits? Special drugs have been developed for the effective fight against pediculosis. However, their use is recommended in combination with the subsequent thorough combing of dead parasites.
Preparations designed to combat pediculosis are produced in the form of shampoos and sprays, solutions and lotions. Among them are Pediculen, Nyuda, etc. All of them are applied to dry strands and evenly distributed on them with a comb. After the time that the manufacturer indicates in the annotation, the drug must be washed off the child’s head, sending a stream of warm water to the hair. If you want to consolidate the therapeutic effect, it is recommended to rinse the strands with a weak vinegar solution and comb out all the dead insects from them.
To determine the most effective remedy, which should be selected taking into account the age and individual characteristics of the child, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist. But in any case, in the treatment of pediculosis in children and the prevention of its further appearance, 2-3 treatments of hair with a pharmacological agent should be carried out, the frequency of which should be 7 days. This will kill the remaining lice in strands, preventing them from reproducing new offspring. With double treatment, the treatment efficiency will be 99%, and with triple treatment - 100%.
Folk remedies
How to remove lice and nits? In addition to medicines and mechanical methods, folk remedies will allow getting rid of head lice. Some of them are harmless to health. However, they are found among similar means and are very dangerous for humans.
So, to eliminate lice at home are used:
- Kerosene. It is diluted in a ratio of 1 to 10 with any vegetable oil and rubbed into the scalp. Judging by the reviews, such a tool is quite effective. However, if used improperly, the patient can get a severe burn not only of the head, but also of the face.
- Pomegranate, cranberry or lemon juice. It contains in its composition a large number of acids that parasites do not tolerate.
- Coniferous branches. A decoction is prepared from them, which is used to rinse the hair after washing it with laundry soap. Such a tool will quickly rid the child of parasites that do not tolerate the smell of needles.
- Hellebore water. How to kill a louse with her help? The product is applied to washed hair with a cotton pad. However, it should be borne in mind that this substance is quite dangerous. When it enters the digestive tract, serious poisoning occurs.