Treatment / What you should do
Contact your doctor if you suspect that your child has lice.
The doctor may recommend that the child be treated with special medicines in the form of cream, shampoo or lotion.
Follow the instructions that come with the treatment. These products are generally considered safe for children when used as directed.
The treatment should be repeated after 7 to 10 days, because the eggs may have survived the first treatment. Others in the family or day care center should be examined actively for the infection. Only people who are truly infected by lice should be treated, and ideally, all infected persons should be treated at the same time to prevent a new outbreak.
Treatment works best when combined with combing and removal of any lice or nits. Use a special closely spaced lice comb.
If you still see live lice shortly after treatment, you may need to use another form of treatment.
Consult with your doctor again if the first treatment does not work. Do not use more than one remedy at a time.
In addition to treating the child's scalp, you must also remove the lice from the child's clothes, hats, scarves, and other headgear.
Lice need to be around people to survive and will starve if the clothes are not worn for a week.
The lice can also be killed if the clothes are washed in hot, soapy water or dried in a dryer set at high heat.
Wash combs and hairbrushes in lice shampoo or hot, soapy water.
Since lice to not live long when away from people, extensive house cleaning generally is not necessary.
Pets cannot get head lice nor spread infection. If the child has developed a secondary bacterial infection in the scalp, antibiotics may be needed.
