How many parents can say that their children never had lice?

Anyone who has experienced this serious problem knows how difficult it is to put an end to this “plague”.

 

What is this about Pediculosis?

Pediculosis is an important public health problem that affects millions of people around the world. Despite the primitive nature of lice, they are very difficult to eradicate and reinfestation is quite common.

Lice (Pediculus Humanus Capitis) are small parasitic insects measuring between 1 and 3.5 mm.

Lice live approximately 30 days and feed exclusively on human blood several times a day, laying 5 to 10 eggs per day, between 150 and 300 eggs per month.

Over the last few years, lice have mutated mainly due to the repeated use of chemical products, namely anti-lice shampoos.

Since the 1980s, studies have shown that these products are less than 50% effective, as well as severe side effects, the most common of which are skin irritation and allergies resulting from exposure of the scalp to chemicals.

Lice do not jump or fly, but they move easily and quickly through the hair, from one head to another, especially when it is dry.

Lice, in their life cycle, go through three phases: egg, nymph and adult louse.

Female lice eggs are called nits, although many people refer to nits as the “empty shells” left by a louse after it hatches.

The louse has six claws that allow it to crawl between strands of hair.

They easily pass from one head to another and therefore direct contact is the main way for lice to spread between people.

Lice are spread through direct contact, as they are anoplural, wingless insects that lack metamorphosis and live as ectoparasites; They feed exclusively on human blood, which they obtain thanks to a chopper-type mouth.

A lice infestation occurs when an adult female louse gets on a new head and lays eggs. When these eggs hatch, the lice will likely stay on your head for their entire life cycle.

Lice reproduce quickly; each female can lay between 5 and 10 eggs (nits) per day.

An egg (nit) takes around 7 to 10 days to hatch and the larva (nymph) to develop.

The nymph is a "baby" louse that looks like an adult louse but is smaller in size and almost transparent.

They feed on blood just like adult lice, so they produce the same itching symptoms.

Lice mainly infest the scalp and hair, and the small eggs can be confused with flakes of dandruff or dermatitis, and remain firmly attached (glued) to the hair root.

Lice spread easily, particularly among school-age children, although it is very common for parents to also be infested, due to close contact with their children.

Lately, cases of pediculosis also occur a lot among teenagers and young university students as a result of our changes in habits (use of electronic devices and smartphones to take photos/selfies).

What are nits?

Lice Eggs (nits): Although lice eggs are traditionally called nits, they are oval capsules with a lid, which hatch in 7 to 10 days, releasing nymphs (baby lice).

Nits are empty lice eggs, which females deposit at the root and remain firmly attached to the hair by an adhesive substance (glue), commonly called cement, insoluble in water.

The heat and humidity of our scalp produce incubation. Nits (empty or dead) are white and located further away from the root of the hair.

The distance between the nits and the scalp can be an indicator of how long the infestation has been and the viability of the egg (whether it is embryonic or empty).

And Nymphs? What are?

The larva leaves the egg and becomes a small louse called a nymph.

The nymphs mature and become adults in about 15 days after hatching from the egg.

To survive, the nymph feeds on Human blood.

The nymph is not contagious.

The nymph will not reproduce until it reaches adulthood.

 

What are the symptoms caused by an infestation?

The main symptom of pediculosis is itchy scalp, caused by irritation from the louse's saliva, which contains an anticoagulant and highly irritating substance that the insect deposits in the small bite wound.

The irritation can be so intense as to cause abrasions on the skin or mucosa, eczema and secondary bacterial superinfection, with regional cervical and occipital polyadenopathies.

Main damages caused by an infestation:

• Intense itching of the scalp.

• Irritability and difficulty sleeping; Lice are most active in the dark.

• Irritation, small red bumps on the scalp, neck and shoulders.

• Small golden spots (eggs or nits) near the root of each hair that are difficult to remove.

• A tingling sensation, “something moving in the hair”.

• Scalp injuries caused by scratching, which can develop into infections.

The most frequent and susceptible locations are the retro-auricular regions, close to the nape and crown.

The infestation has nothing to do with hair length, frequency of washing, or type of hairstyle.

It also has nothing to do with the hygiene factor; The louse does not distinguish a priori between a more or less clean head.

Why should we go to a Pediculosis clinic?

Chemical treatments to combat pediculosis are aggressive, expensive and require time that most families do not have, making their effectiveness very low. This situation creates a high level of anxiety within the family, directly affecting children.

Kids and Nits has developed specialized centers to solve this problem, freeing parents from this tedious and almost impossible mission.

KIDS AND NITS has specialized centers for removing lice and nits!

It is a 100% natural and 100% effective treatment, recommended for adults and children from 1 year of age.

We are the only network of clinics with certified quality, (AENOR AND IQnet), as well as exclusive equipment, approved with the CE mark, for professional use in the treatment of Pediculosis in humans.

What to do when an outbreak of Pediculosis is detected? 

Parents should, as soon as they become aware of the existence of an outbreak of Pediculosis in the environment in which their children move, go to one of our clinics and get diagnosed.

The diagnosis is free and requires no appointment.

There are currently, from North to South of the country, 25 Kids and Nits clinics.

For more information, we suggest visiting the website: www.kidsandnits.pt.