You’ve just received a call from the school: someone in your child’s class has head lice. Your pediatrician can help guide you through the best methods for getting rid of pesky head lice once and for all.
If you notice head lice in your child there’s no way around it: you have to treat the lice. They will not go away on their own. You should also check all members of your family to make sure they don’t have lice too, as this problem can spread quickly.
The good news is that you can often treat lice from the comfort of your own home. There are a variety of over-the-counter shampoos and rinses that can kill lice and their eggs (also known as nits).
Still seeing lice? A pediatrician can prescribe a much stronger treatment option such as shampoos containing benzyl alcohol, or lotions containing either ivermectin or malathion, or spinosad.
Treating Your Home After Lice
Lice need blood in order to survive so they won’t live very long if they don’t have a human host. However, you will want to wash all bedding, towels and clothes that may have lice or nits on them in hot water higher than 130 degrees F.