Lice: A Head-Scratching Concern

There are five little words no parent wants to hear: Your child has head lice.

For many, it is an irritating fact of life, and a more frequent pest than you would think. As many as 6 to 12 million kids, aged 3 to 11 years old, in the United States get head lice each year, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health.

"Unfortunately, it's almost as common as the cold. We see it every year," says Alice Garcia, a nurse with the Las Virgenes Unified School District. "We advise teachers to look out for children in class who are frequently scratching their heads. Those children will be sent to the health office for a head check."

Head lice are small, parasitic insects that feed on blood and live on the human scalp. The adults are brown in color and fast-moving, often found behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head. 

"Lice are passed through head-to-head contact," Garcia explains. "They don't jump through the air, but crawl from surface to surface."

Head lice hold on to hair with hook-like claws, and if left unattended, they will lay eggs or nits that are tiny and white in color, often mistaken for dandruff, says Garcia. She alerts parents to the sharing of combs and jackets, or pillows and sheets.

Symptoms include itchiness on the scalp, a tickling feeling of something moving through the hair, or sores on the head caused by scratching.

"A lot of the prescription medications that have been used in the past are not working as effectively anymore, but there are some new natural, non-toxic products that seem to be doing a pretty good job," Garcia said.

Shadi Pezeshki, founder of Head Lice Doctors, offers a low-cost package of specially formulated all-natural creams and lotions that effectively remove lice.  She includes a 10-minute instructional video and comb. 

"It is a simple three-step program that treats a family of five and is very easy to follow," Pezeshki says. "You no longer need to have experts coming into the home, charging hundreds of dollars."

Pezeshki advises that infected households boil all combs and brushes, as well as wash clothes and sheets in hot water. She also says to dry wet items on a hot cycle for at least 20 minutes.

Two other local companies that treat head lice are Hair Fairies and Hair Whisperers.

Of course, the best medicine is prevention. "Better to be overly cautious," Garcia says. She recommends periodically checking your child's scalp and watching for scratching.