Winter months mean hats, scarves and protection from the cold by spending more time indoors. Anytime kids are in close contact with one another, lice are possible, if not probable. Have no fear, the lice myth busters are here!

Myth #1 – Head lice infestations occur because of a lack of cleanliness.

Head lice love clean hair!  It is easier for them to grip the base of the hair shaft so they can lay their eggs.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), lice feed off a blood protein which they obtain from biting the scalp.

Myth #2 – Head lice are contracted from pets.

The CDC reports, head lice infestation, or pediculosis, is spread most commonly by close person-to-person contact. While head lice can be perceived as contagious, head lice are really human parasites.  Pediatricians use language like infestation rather than infection.  Dogs, cats, and other pets do not play a role in the transmission of human lice.

Myth #3 – Lice hop or fly from one infected person to the other.

Head lice multiply easily if there is close proximity to an affected person or the brush, combs or hats of an affected persons are shared. Head lice are spread most commonly from head to head contact. Head lice do not hop or fly.  Lice have no hind legs to hop and no wings to fly.  Head lice do crawl, quite rapidly at times and blend into the hair shaft very well.

Myth #4 – After a lice infestation you must mega-clean your house, top to bottom including steam the carpets and curtains and burn the mattresses!

Housecleaning myths for lice eradication abound! Lice are not bedbugs.  They do not survive for long when off their host’s head.  Lice have a 24 – 26 hour survival off a host’s head when removed from their blood supply so simple vacuuming will work to pick up bugs that have fallen off the head.

Myth #5 – Head lice will go away in one day shampooing with over the counter pesticides and will kill all lice and their eggs.

Whether you choose to go to a doctor for a prescription shampoo or whether you choose one or more of the numerous green products, thorough, consistent comb outs with a lice comb is required after the shampooing to remove all lice and eggs.  Follow up combings may be required for 7 days, depending on the severity of the infestation.

The Solution Sequence

While opinions and methodologies vary somewhat, lice removal experts, pharmacists and doctors agree with the following basics. You may do it yourself or hire a lice removal specialist in your area to do it for you and your child.  They charge by the hour and some make house calls. Others have local salons.

1. Shampoo

Shampoo with a lice killing shampoo. You may get a prescription shampoo from a physician or use one of the green products recommended on the specialists’ websites. Today’s lice are resistant to over the counter pesticides. Avoid using them.

2. Comb out

Do a thorough comb out immediately after the shampoo, using a lice comb.  Comb out after the initial shampoo using a white crème rinse to catch the bugs and eggs, called nits. (Our specialists have crème rinse recommendations.) A lice comb has long teeth and should be wiped with a white paper towel after every combing stroke to remove the lice and nits from the comb. Any darkness you see in the white liquid is a louse in one of its stages. The initial comb out may take up to 2 hours. Finish one small section of hair at a time and move to the next section.

3. Repeat

Follow up comb outs should take place.  The specialists recommend follow up comb outs. When and how often varies. Some say comb outs should take place every day for 7 days after shampooing.  Others say if the initial comb out was thorough, then another one is not needed until the seventh day.  All agree, follow up is vital.

4. Head checks

Since the life cycle of the louse is 14 days, check your child’s head at the two week mark from initial treatment in case any lice remain.

Prevention

1. Teach children to avoid head to head contact.
2. Teach children not to share brushes, combs or hats.
3. You may choose to use a preventative spray on your child’s head or hair spray product. The odor acts as a repellent to the lice and the consistency on the hair helps to prevent lice from latching onto the hair shaft.

Lice are as common as the common cold.  While they are frustrating and time consuming to deal with, they do not pose a serious health threat.  Don’t panic!  Get educated and get combing.

These local salons will help when/if the dreaded discovery that your child has lice becomes a reality:

Bernadette’s Lice Removal Center
Operates in Toledo
440-946-5423
bernadettesliceremovalcenter.com
Average cost of treatment: between $85-$90
Call Jeremy for any of your lice needs at 440-946-5423

Rapunzel
Operate in Toledo, OH
2525 N. Reynolds Rd. #6, Toledo
419-214-0414
Average cost of treatment: between $125-$145
Cost of having head checked: $10

Laura Reagan-Porras is a parenting journalist and mother of two daughters who have battled lice and lived to share the tale.

For every child with an allergy, asthma or a penchant for couch jumping, there is a parent or caregiver who needs basic first aid training. ProMedica has a class for parents and professional caregivers alike. The Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid class teaches basic first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator skills.

During the class, licensed American Heart Association instructors will teach participants basic first aid including how to stop bleeding, apply bandages, use an epinephrine auto injector and asthma care mask, treat burns and help a child that is choking. The class also covers how to react in medical and environmental emergencies.

Classes are scheduled as needed, but they will be held for as few as two people. The class runs for six hours, and can be completed in one day or split over several days.

There are no age restrictions for class participants, but they should be old enough to be able to perform chest compressions. Older children that can do chest compressions can participate, and younger children can observe and learn about first aid.

This pediatric first aid class meets regulations and requirements for child care workers. Upon completion of the class, participants will receive a course completion card with a certification good for two years.

Classes will be held at Toledo Hospital, and cost $55. For more information or
to schedule a class, call CPR Rescue Training Center at 419-291-3053.