Category Archives: About Lice

How to Prevent Lice – Regular Head Checks

Head Lice Prevention VirigniaLice Prevention – Is it Possible?

Did you know that 3 percent of the kids at most schools have lice at any given time? And that’s when there isn’t a major outbreak.

Most parents don’t want to talk about it but lice is a nationwide epidemic that gets a little worse every year. There is no way to completely protect your family against lice, but you can take some common steps to educate yourself and be proactive against the problem. Particularly going back to school. It’s head lice season (Get 10 Tips to Lice Prevention)  August thru October.

Trying to avoid head lice would be like trying to avoid catching a cold. The best thing you can do in the prevention of head lice is to check your child’s head regularly, because early detection is key.

Didn’t receive a notice from school that there is an outbreak? Check anyway! At least every two weeks & weekly head check would be better. What about cleaning? We can’t emphasize enough to spend time on the head not the home. This is to all  what we like to call the “cleaning Ninja Moms” (you know who you are, you go into a crazed cleaning mode, Spring cleaning on speed) Yes, if there is a confirmed infestation, wash the linens and recent clothes and soak the hair brushes (we know – Ninja Moms already threw those out!). Vacuuming is another safe alternative if you must spend time cleaning your home.

Remember lice isn’t hazardous to your family’s health it’s just a big nuisance.  Certainly staying informed is another key to prevention. Ask after school programs if they notify parents and what their protocol for head lice is and what your children’s school policy is concerning lice. Discussing precautionary steps with your children are important like no sharing of hats, hair brushes etc.

There are a variety of product treatments available. Read about Best Lice Treatment & The Truth about Lice Pesticide Treatments  or many Natural Head Lice Treatments are available. In all cases whether you choose a pesticide treatment (that lice are becoming increasingly resistant to) or an all natural treatment its important to understand that nits (lice eggs) need to be manually removed.

Families who have experienced lice know that it can sometimes interfere with the families fun time or other planned activities. Being proactive & diligent is the key to prevention. If you work and don’t have time, call in a professional service. Virginia Beach Lice Treatment – Let’s Be PALS  offers head checks and a neat Pay It Forward plan for your circles (to help keep lice away) & Lice Doctors also serves Virginia Beach & many cities & states. Google Lice Treatment for a professional lice treatment & removal service in your area.

Did you know?

Head lice is one of the top three reasons why children miss school.
80 percent of the time kids pass on a lice infestation to their siblings.
80 percent of the time mothers contract head lice from their children.
20 percent of the time fathers contract head lice from their children.

Sources: Virginia Beach Lice Treatment Let’s Be P.A.L.S
Author: Julie B

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Lice and Antibiotics It’s About Following Up

Lice & AntibioticsHave you ever been to the doctors office and been prescribed an antibiotic?  Once you get the prescription filled and start taking them – you generally start to feel better – right? And although the doctor cautioned you to take ALL the medication as prescribed and instructions to take as directed are on the prescription bottle AND the insert information sheet that comes with your prescription; despite all of this information, what do most of us do when we start feeling better? That’s right, we stop taking the prescription because we are feeling better.

I know I can say that I’ve done that a time or two (thank goodness for those Z-Paks) However, then I have to suffer the consequences which is whatever I had coming back but probably worse – just like the Doctor said it would if I didn’t follow the directions and take the prescription even though I was feeling better.

What do antibiotics and lice have to do with each other? Nothing, except if you don’t do the follow up with a Head Lice treatment you probably aren’t going to get rid of it. Follow ups are imperative to getting rid of Head Lice. Getting rid of head lice is a process and combing is the safest most effective way recommended by the NPA.

We hear clients tell us all the time “we thought we were rid of it and two weeks later it’s back!” Chances are if it was two weeks after the first occurrence they probably never got rid of the first infestation. They probably stopped combing and following the instructions for follow up because they didn’t see anything and the consequences of that are of course another life cycle and round about with head lice.

So, be sure to do your follow up to ensure that you and your family stay lice free.

Best Lice Treatment & The Truth About Lice Pesticide Treatments

Read About Natural Head Lice Treatments

Does Chlorine Kill Lice? Enjoying Virginia Beach

does chlorine kill lice? Virginia Beach Lice Treatment Experts

My Sister has Lice so she can’t go swimming right?

That was a response from a 7 year old wishful brother during a head lice treatment for his sister.

A Virginia beach Mom asked inquisitively and always in a concerned voice “can the kids still go swimming?” And the resounding answer to that is yes. She responded “oh, the chlorine kills them?” No, chlorine won’t kill head lice and it won’t drown them either – that was the other question from the 7 year old brother (but not about the lice). Oh brothers, you’ve got to love them. Thank goodness they usually grow up and actually like their sisters (as soon as their friends start liking their sister) Ok, back to lice and swimming pools.

We went searching online to find some studies to reference and we came across this Q.  “Can you catch lice in a swimming pool?” A. “Not if it’s oxidized” Oh boy!  Let’s get this out of the way first. I’m not sure what oxidizing a swimming pool means but it doesn’t have anything to do with head lice or their transmission in a swimming pool. So Mom’s please don’t go buy an oxidizer for your swimming pool if you found that answer online.

Data shows that head lice can survive under water for several hours (some studies say up to 16 hours) but are unlikely to be spread by the water in a swimming pool. Head lice have been seen to hold tightly to human hair and not let go when submerged under water. Chlorine levels found in pool water do not kill head lice.

Swimming with someone who has lice carries no greater risk of transmission than any other activity, nor will the water affect the infestation.  When lice are in water they go into a state of suspended animation but remain firmly locked onto the hair – literally hanging on for their lives.

We did find research study information that says ” In the field trial, four naturally infected individuals swam in a chlorinated pool for 30 min. No loss of lice or head to head transfer was observed. These results indicated that although head lice survive immersion, head lice transmission is unlikely to occur via the water of swimming pools” You can read the full article US National Library of Medicine.

So, with so many fun swimming options in Virginia Beach, you don’t need to worry about catching or sharing head lice in the water. If you suspect head lice be sure to call for a head lice check or learn how to do an at home lice head check.

Other Resources/References:

References: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs.html
Answers adapted from content on the websites of the National Pediculosis Association (NPA) & Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
http://khs.westport.k12.ct.us/eisenberg/lice_information.htm

Publisher:  Let’s Be P.A.L.S

Contributor:  Julie B

 

5 Tips to Entertain Children Through a Head Lice Treatment

naturallicetreatmentforkidsHere’s a head-scratcher (ok, there’s a little pun intended): how can something so tiny create such massive misery? Minuscule though they are, head lice still can wreak months of havoc on a household.

While lice have a high ick factor, the bugs themselves are fairly harmless. They don’t carry diseases. They just really gross most people out.

We know having head lice can be very stressful for Moms & Dads, but it can be stressful for the kids too! They actually seem to take it a lot better than Mom really, but having to sit through a nit picking process can be tough.

Here are 5 things to keep the kids entertained during a nit picking:

(These aren’t for the little ones – little ones are quick to check with their usually fine, short hair and they seem to entertain themselves!)

1) A portable DVD is really a no brainer. It keeps them busy and still for the 30 to 60 minutes we need and wa-la

2) Any hand held portable gaming device, we supply a DX (children who don’t own DX’s are mesmerized the entire time)

3) Pipe cleaners. For the kids who has to move his or her hands these are a life saver. You can mold them into anything you want. You can make jewelry, chains, robots etc.

4) We love the question game. It’s super simple. The asker quick fires simple questions to the kids.

Would you rather be a mouse or an elephant?
What is your is favorite fruit?
Would you rather be a fairy or a princess (don’t say this to the boys – they get mad)?
Bubble Gum or Berry toothpaste?
Top 3 ice cream sundae toppings?

Before they know it they are all finished siting still and can go play!

5) I Spy. It’s a classic. Start off the game by picking an object in the room and saying “I Spy with my little eye something…blue” and then everyone takes turns guessing what is spied. The winner of the round chooses the next object.

It’s best if you incorporate some help to get some of the games rolling. Nit picking is a tedious process and it takes some concentration. So if you are the nit picker you’ll need help to play 4 & 5.

We bring a treasure box that the kids can pick from when they are done (if they are good – of course every child gets to pick – we think they are all good!) and they really look forward to it! We see Mom’s & Dad’s spoil them while they are going through this tedious process, they get candy they don’t usually get to eat or soda they don’t normally get to drink, some get games on their wish list and the list goes on…it’s endearing and if you need help we want to be the gift to Mom & Dad. Call Let’s Be PALS if you’re in the Virginia Beach area and find you need help with head lice treatments – we want to spoil you!

Remember Summer & Fall is Lice Season

Get 10 Tips to Lice Prevention

About Head Lice

How Do You Get Lice?

how do you get lice

Did I get it here?

Head Lice. How do I know where I got it?

It’s the question all our clients ask -where did we get it? You can get lice by coming into contact with either lice or their eggs. Lice are almost always spread through head to head contact and prominent among children ages 3-11. Head lice are a very common problem, affecting millions of people each year — especially preschool and elementary school-aged children and their close contacts. Yes, boys get them but not as frequently as girls probably due to the length of the hair and the nature of boys to have less head to head contact.

It’s important not to play the blame game, you could spend hours trying to figure out where you’re family got lice and you will just never know for sure. Spend your time taking it out on the lice – those sneaky little creepers. We can generally tell which family member had it first if more than one family member is infested (and they usually are). People are typically infested on average 4 weeks before they even discover they have lice. They’re tiny. And sometimes speedy (6-32 cm/min).

Getting head lice isn’t a sign of bad personal hygiene or an unclean living environment. This itchy infestation, also called pediculosis capitis, most commonly spreads through close personal contact and by sharing personal belongings.

Every single Mom we meet turns into obsessive compulsive super charged over the top Molly Maid on steroids.  Do they need to? No, washing your sheets and recently worn clothes in hot water and high heat for 30 minutes. Soak your brushes in hot water (we know – you’ve already thrown them out – we hear it all the time) and do some vacuuming on any cloth areas that the infested person sits frequently is enough. Do you need to bag everything? No. If it can be washed, dryed or vacuumed you don’t need to bag it. It’s important to save your energy for head checks and combing. If Moms spent as much time on a child’s head as they do frantically cleaning their homes, well we are here for you Moms we know what your going through and empathizes so let’s move on.

Yes, adult lice can survive off the human head for up to 48 hours, but if you still concentrate on the head IF they happen to crawl from a remote place to the head (it’s really unlikely) but we know you’re freaking out – so if they do and your concentrating on the head you’ll comb them out and personally kill them (like you really want to do anyway! Die DIE you lous-y bug you!)

Bottom line: We humans are uniquely prone to infestations. When it comes to recognizing, treating, and containing the spread of lice, we’re all in this together. Be sure to email, tweet or share this information with others, including school officials. But if lice happens in your community, try to avoid the blame game. After all, anyone can have a lousy day.

What do you think? Is it possible to avoid head lice without making yourself crazy? Do you have any lice stories you’d be willing to share? You can get more information on head lice and head lice treatments at http://www.virginiabeachlicetreatment.com, or jump on the Twitter bandwagon and follow @licetreatmentva. Also check out and Like Us on our Facebook page or Google Plus and add us to your circles.

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