Dr. Barbara Frankowski, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, helps to bust the common beliefs about head lice.
Head lice is gross but having lice does not make you a bad person. You can rectify the situation by treating the lice as soon as possible. It also helps in not believing the myths that fly around when a person has head lice. Below are four common myths about head lice. Read them and get the facts on these little buggers.
Myth #1: Lice are incredibly contagious
Head lice are contagious if you have very close head to head contact. Lice has about a 24 hour time frame in which it can survive on objects such as combs, hats or pillows. This is a very small window of time.
Myth #2: Lice are resistant to the available treatments.
Many over-the-counter remedies usually work fine. There are some homespun fixes that work as well. Dr. Frankowski recommends applying a Cetaphil cleaner to the head and leaving it in all night. Supposedly the Cetaphil cleaner suffocates the lice. Upon getting up in the morning treat your head with the over-the-counter shampoo. Shampooing should be done at least twice within a two week time frame (first wash one week and the second wash the week after). This is to ensure that you get any eggs that may have hatched in between washings.
If you do not want to buy head lice shampoos such as Rid or Nix then try some of these home remedies. The most popular home remedies are real mayonnaise, olive oil, and Vaseline. The home remedies should be left in the hair all night with a shower cap on top and then washed out the next morning. These methods have not be proven to work, so it is best to use Rid or Nix to get rid of your child’s head lice.
Myth #3: If your child gets head lice, wash everything.
It does not hurt to wash bedding and hats. However, washing everything that the child comes in contact with is not necessary. According to the study that Dr. Frankowski performed only 4 percent of pillowcases had head lice in them when in contact with people that were infected. This is pretty good odds and saves a lot of time washing everything.
Myth #4: Lice are a sign of bad hygiene.
These little buggers are not picky when it comes to whose head they infect. They do not single out a “dirty” kid and they most certainly do not harm the “dirty” kid. These pest like a “clean” head just as well as a “dirty” head.
Don’t think it is the end of the world if your child gets head lice. Lice are just an annoying pest. Now that you have the facts on these pests you can RELAX! Children get head lice. It is just part of being a kid. Just remember to RELAX! Treat the head lice, repeat the treatment in a week, and then move on to the next problem.
