If you have youngsters, you know that every once in awhile there is something that happens that is a complete and utter nightmare. One of those “things” is head lice also known as Pediculosis. For children, they seem to be the most prone to get lice, especially when they are still in school.

The obvious perpetrator? Other kids! Notice that adults very seldom ever get lice, but children often do. In fact, I don’t think I know one adult that didn’t get lice as a kid or has a child who has already gone through something of this nature.

Lice aren’t dangerous and they don’t spread diseases, but they are contractible and can be quite annoying for your child. Their bites may cause a child’s scalp to become nail-bitingly agonizing and inflamed, and persistent scratching might result in skin irritation and even infection!

Most parents know what its like to have to go through something with your kid and not be able to do anything about it so when it comes to head lice or body lice you may not even know your child has it until you really pay attention to some key figures. Listed below are a few things you should be looking out for to determine if your child does or doesn’t have Pediculosis. Here are some of the most recognized:

Lice eggs (called nits) -
These appear like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. After incubating, the remaining shell looks white or clear. Lice situate nits on hair shafts close to the skin’s surface, where the temperature is idyllic for keeping warm until they hatch.

Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can’t be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is serious, it’s more common to see nits in a child’s hair than it is to see live lice creeping on the scalp. Lice eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks after they’re laid.

Scratching -
Of course scratching is scratching, but if your child is incessantly scratching their scalp it’s a good idea to take a look and see if you can find anything! Also, if they complain about things moving around or tickling their heads this is a very good “sign” that they might have lice!

It is suggested that if your child does complain of itching or “tickling” that you take a fine-tooth comb and “brush” the hair from side to side, making sure that you look on the hair follicles and scalp. If you do find something it’s important that you visit a doctor who can recommend a good shampoo or conditioner for your child to be rid of these lice! This is definitely not something you want to put off!

These may be over-the-counter or prescription medications, depending on what discourses have already been adjudicated. Medicated lice discourses usually kill the lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the scratching to stop. A lot of people say that lice is like chicken pox, once they get it they will never get it again. This simply is not the case unfortunately!

So just be on the look out for signs with your kids and once you do see signs make sure they see a doctor immediately. No one should have to live with this for a long amount of time than need be! It’s also important to listen to any of the teachers or children that say someone in their class has lice. In most all cases this is how lice spreads from one child to another especially if things like hats are shared.

This Author is a huge fan of Pediculosis

[tags]Pediculosis, lice, lice infection, hair pediculosis, body pediculosis[/tags]