The holiday season is usually frantic. The, but the holiday season with head lice is horrific. The age old problem of head lice doesn't take a break to celebrate the holidays, as a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite. So if you find yourself searching for the perfect way to rid your family of head lice while you search for the perfect gifts, you are not alone. More than four million U.S. kids could will contract head lice this year based on the national statistics., There could be 400,000 cases in Los Angeles County alone.

While over 400,000 kids in Los Angeles could contract head lice, the ones that matter most to you are yours. When a family member has head lice, there is a mountain of information to sift through. Below are some myths, misconceptions and tips to help a family survive this stressful time:

Myth: "Head lice are found most often on people with dirty hair."

Fact: When hair is clean, it does not stick to the scalp and therefore it makes itis easier for the lice to crawl around from one person's head to another.

Myth: "My daughter caught head lice from the family dog".

Fact:

Head lice can only be transmitted from hair to hair contact with humans. The family pet cannot contract head lice because lice feed only on human blood.

Myth: "Bag all of the children's toys for three weeks once lice are found".

Fact:

Lice can only live for 24 hours after leaving the scalp. Lice don't jump or fly, they crawl from hair shaft to hair shaft.

Myth: "My child had lice and we got rid of it. In less than a week it came back".

Fact:

Unfortunately, the lice were most likely never completely gone. A female louse will lay up to 3-5 eggs per day. It takes 7-10 days for the eggs to hatch and then another 7-10 days for the louse to mature and lay their own eggs.

Myth: "My son's cousin has head lice and therefore we will not be going to visit them for the holidays".

Fact:

Once a treatment program has begun, there is no reason to forgo holiday visits with friends and families. Just take common sense precautions and ensure there is no head to head contact with the infested person.

There are many treatment options on the market today, some high tech and some not so high tech. They include, shampoos, combs, gels, olive oil, mayonnaise, even kerosene and shaving a child's head. Kerosene is extremely dangerous and should never be used on a child. When finding a treatment method, always check with your Doctor or Pediatrician.

Whatever treatment you use will require manually looking for the nits and bugs. Depending on the length of hair, this can take a few minutes up to a few hours.

So to survive the holidays when lice come to visit, relax, take it all in stride and who knows, you may learn something new about your child during those hours of combing and picking.

 

 

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