The new backpack, the books, the case ... They are the essential ones in the return to the classrooms. But there are times that we also slip into our children's pack some very small bugs, which populate their heads and sting: lice.
The children return from the summer camp, from the grandparents' house or from the village and their heads must be checked before they meet their class friends. The best is pass a nit with wet hair to detect if your head is clean or not.
But what if the other parents don't check? Well, to prevent it, it is best to keep checking your little heads, looking at them in detail at least once a week.
Because although it is a myth that lice are a sign of poor hygiene (what's more, they even show a preference for clean hair) some parents still do not inform the center that their son is full of these annoying bugs, to prevent the rest, make common cleaning of parasites and prevent further spread.
In Babies and more Tea tree oil for lice: there is no scientific evidence to help fight themThe infestation of the scalp and human hair by the head louse is called pediculosis, as explained by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) in its report "Pediculosis of the head." It is as contagious as the cold and has in the classroom, the ideal breeding ground for procreating.
In order to be well informed for the new course, we solve the most frequent doubts that parents have when thinking about these nasty little bugs and tell you about the best methods to eliminate them.
1. What are they?
According to the report of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics:
Head lice need human blood intake several times a day and do not live outside the human body for more than two days.
They do not have wings (they do not fly), they do not jump but they move easily and quickly through the hair from one hair to another if it is dry.
They are grayish in color, and measure between two and four millimeters.
They are usually located mainly behind the ears and on the neck.
The female adheres the eggs to the hair with an aqueous substance similar to the glue.
If the hair is wet they move awkwardly and are more vulnerable, so They are easier to identify and remove.
Hence, if you have school-age children, be It is advisable that you get a blanket, or what is the same: a comb of spikes very close together and metal, specific to remove these parasites and their eggs.
Then, you have to comb her hair with her hair, lock of hair. Better do it with wet hair and a towel on his shoulders, to check whether or not a parasite falls.
It is important to also learn to distinguish nits (lice eggs). They are white flecks very close to the hair that can be confused with dandruff with the naked eye. You will distinguish them because dandruff separates easily from the hair while to remove the nits you have to pull it hard.
2. Why do they bite?
They feed on the blood by piercing the scalp. In the saliva of the louse there are anticoagulant and vasodilator substances that are those that promote that itching and typical discomfort.
The louse bites and its saliva can produce a local immune response that causes itching or the feeling that something is moving in my head.
3. How are they transmitted?
Any child can suffer them, regardless of their background or personal hygiene, as long as there is direct contact with another child affected by lice.
According to the AEP, the infestation is not more frequent neither by the length of the hair nor by the frequency of use of shampoos or the type of hairstyle.
Lice prefer clean hair to dirty and straight to curly hair.Indirect transmission through a hat or scarf is possible, but much rarer. In fact, this parasite rarely leaves the head of its host and if it does it is only to feed on another head.
It is also not proven to be transmitted through water.
4. Why do girls get more lice than boys?
According to the work 'Plan Cabezas Despejadas', by Manuela Prieto Mariscal for the University of Navarra "Infection by these parasites is more common in boys between 5 and 12 years old and in girls, regardless of social status."
But against the myth, girls suffer more from these parasites not because they have long hair, but because their games involve more head-to-head contacts: secrets are told, they hug more, they exchange hairpins and headbands ...
5. Do they have to stay at home to avoid contagion?
However, letting the school know that our child has head lice does not imply that he has to stay at home 'isolated', as explained by the Spanish Society of Extra-hospital Pediatrics and Primary Care SEPEAP:
“In the event that our children have lice, it is enough to treat and inform the school, without missing classes, to prevent the infection from passing from infected to healthy cyclically. For its treatment it is sufficient to use a protective product ”.
In Babies and more, one in five children gets lice, how to prevent them?6. How can I remove them?
The first, arming yourself with patience and making your child have it too. Then, it is time to follow the recommendations of the AEP:
On the dry hair the shampoo, lotion or pediculicidal foam is applied, massaging the area lightly.
It is left in the hair for 10 minutes and then rinsed with warm water. It is advisable to read the preparation instructions beforehand. Avoid contact of these products with eyes, nose and mouth.
Then, with wet hair, lice and nits are removed by hand or with a nits.
The hair is allowed to dry in the air, because the bugs can still be alive and the heat of a dryer invalidates the residual insecticidal effect of the product.
Keep checking your head daily for two weeks and, if any nits or lice are found, they are removed by hand. And it is that the nits or eggs can hatch after 7 or 10 days, so it is necessary to check that your head is still clean of lice during that time.
To help detach the nits, you can use water and vinegar (a part of water and one of vinegar) by applying it with a soaked towel, after the antiparasitic, for 30-60 minutes.
It is important to repeat the treatment with the same product a week later, to eliminate lice that have left the nits that did not die the first time.
The child's clothes, towels and bedding should be washed with hot water (at 60 º C) and soak the combs and hair accessories in the parasitic lotion for 10 minutes.
What cannot be cleaned (dolls, for example) can be put in a closed plastic bag for two weeks. It is important to do this because lice can survive outside the head for a day or two and repopulate the child's hair.
7. Which product works best?
The first thing to do is not to trust that an application has a miracle effect: the lice have completely vanished!
Most preparations do not ensure the death of nits. So you have to arm yourself with patience and follow the manufacturer's instructions for use to the letter and, always, perform manual removal with the boundary after removing the product.
As indicated by the AEPED, "creams better than lotions and lotions better than shampoos"
It can be used1% permethrin, an insecticide that is also used against mosquitoes and other insects and against mites. They work by neurotoxicity, attacking the nervous system of the parasite. In case you have doubts, permethrin is compatible with breastfeeding according to e-lactation.
4% dimethicone. An occlusive compound that blocks the holes through which the lice breathe and drown them. It is especially useful when permethrin fails and is less aggressive to the scalp.
There are other compounds, although they are less effective: fenotrina, bioaletrina, lindane, carbaryl ...
None of these products can be used in children under two years. If it appears at these ages, manual removal is the only option.
8. Are other natural methods effective?
Until a few decades ago, mothers ended up with lice and nits based on vinegar and time, to check the hair of their daughters and sons every day. But the vinegar serves to soften the nits and facilitate their extraction. It does not end the louse, nor does it kill the nits or prevent infection.
The olive oil. Its viscosity deprives the lice of oxygen and they die of suffocation. But there is no scientific basis to ensure that it works.
9. What if they are not removed with treatment?
In these cases, the AEP recommends using 1% permethrin for 30-60 minutes, even overnight (with a shower cap).
It also talks about other measures such as oral or local medications such as 4% dimethicone shampoo.
And even natural plant-based treatments. Before using any of them, recommend asking the pediatrician which is the most recommended for each child.
10. Why are there more now and are they more resistant?
The AEP report says that there are more than 3,000 known lice species and that the biology of most of them is unknown. In addition, a report by the Cambridge Center for Medical Entomology, Research and Development of Limited Insects has revealed that there are more lice than ever and these are also stronger:
"Like all living things, lice have undergone genetic mutations that have made them become stronger specimens and resistant to conventional treatments."
The most likely cause is the misuse of pediculicides: shampoos and lotions to prevent (do not work), instead of using them for what they serve: to treat and eliminate lice.
This has caused them to produce resistance (something similar to what happens with antibiotics, when used without them being necessary). This is explained by pediatrician Lucía Galán.
11. Can they be prevented?
The AEP ensures that It is not necessary to use preventive treatments based on lotions or colonies for parasites if the child is not infected. The treatment will only be used if it is discovered that you have lice.
However it is known that lice only inhabit people, since they are attracted to our particular smell. Hence, our dogs or cats do not suffer them, even if they live with us and we all suffer from these uncomfortable parasites.
That is why homemade remedies are made to attack them, which act simply by hiding our smell. Of course, some herbs are better for this than others, but there is no evidence that they are effective remedies.
Can also be used drug repellentsAlthough they are not recommended for a long period of time, it can cause lice to become more resistant and more difficult to get rid of.
And finally, try by all means that Children understand that there are personal hygiene items that are not shared: as brushes or combs, pigtails, caps and towels. It should be explained that the lice are passed from one head to another by direct contact, so they should try not to put their heads together. As an additional precaution, they can go to school with their hair up.
We hope that this course we will all be able to keep those uncomfortable bugs at bay and that the school only arrive with good news.
Photos | iStock
