HEALTHY FAMILY
How to Handle
Head Lice
KEVINDYER / E+
W “HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
SERVICE AT THE ONSET
VERSUS AS A LAST
RESORT CAN SAVE
PARENTS THE MONEY
SPENT ON MULTIPLE
TREATMENTS AS THEY
RESPOND TO ROUNDS
OF INFESTATION.”
—NANCY PFUND,
LICE HAPPENS
BY ELEANOR LINAFELT
hile head lice can spread at any
time of the year, it’s especially
important to be on the lookout
for signs of lice in the winter, especially when
we are all spending more time gathering
indoors in close quarters.

Lice spread through head-to-head contact.

“Winter holidays often involve multiple
celebrations and sleepovers among extended
family members and friends. These close-knit
gatherings provide close-knit opportunities
for head-to-head contact, which allow head
lice to spread,” says Nancy Pfund of Lice
Happens, which provides lice treatment
services in the Washington, D.C. area.

Your family can take some preventive
measures to avoid the dreaded itchy heads,
but if someone does get lice, you can
eradicate the problem.

Preventing lice
No parent wants to deal with a lice
infestation to begin with. How can moms
and dads prevent it from being a problem in
the first place?
“Don’t allow children to share jackets, hats,
helmets, hairbrushes and hair accessories.

Keep long hair pulled back or pinned up,”
says Charlotte Savarino, a pediatric specialty
coordinator at the Shaw Family Pediatric
Emergency Center at Suburban Hospital in
Washington, D.C.

Parents can also use lice repellant sprays
available to discourage lice from crossing
to one head from another. “Parents can
spray the top and underside of their child’s
hair with a repellent spray,” Pfund says.

“While repellents can play a role in avoiding
the spread of head lice, they are not suits
of armor.”
Staying alert for signs of lice
Treating lice as early as possible is crucial
because lice won’t go away on their own, and
the volume will increase greatly over time.

“Signs of lice are constant, relentless
scratching, a rash on the neck or shoulders
and exposure to known contacts with lice,”
Savarino says.

It’s hard to see the actual lice in hair, but
it’s easier to spot nits, the eggs. “They look
like tiny grains of sand that attach to the hair
shaft,” Savarino says. “Nits are easier to see
in dark hair. Nits are generally found close to
the scalp, at the beginning of the hair shaft
around ears and the back of the neck where
it is warm.”
Treating a lice problem
Parents can seek over-the-counter and
prescription-medicated shampoos and lotions
for killing lice, as well as homeopathic options.

Additionally, lice combs can help with
removing nits from the hair, a crucial step in
the lice treatment process.

“This is the single most important thing
you can do,” Savarino says. “Check and comb
hair nightly to remove all nits so that any left
in the hair don’t hatch in seven to 10 days and
repeat the cycle.”
Knowing when to seek
professional help
If the lice case is too severe or challenging
to get rid of at home, or if you don’t want to
have to handle it on your own, professionals
can help with removing lice.

“Hiring a professional service at the onset
versus as a last resort can save parents the
money spent on multiple treatments as they
respond to rounds of infestation,” Pfund
says. “Treating a family’s head lice infestation
takes a lot of time and effort. A professional
service, especially one that educates and
gives parents hands-on training, can save
parents multiples of both and help parents
prevent future infestations.”
It’s a myth that only people who are
unclean or have bad hygiene get lice.

“Children contract head lice from social
interactions, not because they did anything
wrong or because of poor hygiene or lack of
cleanliness,” Pfund says.

Anyone who has hair on one’s head can
get lice. It’s important that kids and parents
are all aware of the signs and how to treat a
lice problem effectively before worsening an
outbreak at home or school. n
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