What Treatments To Use Against Lice?

If you find live lice or nits, you need to do the treatment like Lice Treatment nashville for example. The definitive treatment for head lice is to kill them with a topical insecticide (pediculicide). Other treatments are also sold there, but their effectiveness has not been demonstrated.

How Do I Know If The Treatment Has Worked?

It is probably a failure if you see live lice 17 days after the recommended two or three applications (depending on the product used). You must start the treatment again with a product of different composition:

If the failure persists after two complete cycles of treatment with two different products, it is recommended to consult a health professional (school nurse, pharmacist, or doctor). The professional will review the possible causes of the failure before proposing a new treatment cycle or even performing the mechanical treatment (manually removing the lice using a fine comb on wet hair). Repeated treatments without professional supervision could expose your child to the adverse effects of the products used.

Need A Prescription?

Pharmacists can prescribe medication if no medical diagnosis is required, such as in lice infestation. Thanks to this prescription, certain head lice treatments treated by LiceDoctors for instance can be partially reimbursed by the RAMQ or private insurance, depending on the conditions of coverage.

Head Lice Treatments To Avoid

It is not recommended to use treatments (e.g., “homemade recipes,” commercial preparations, “natural” substances or oils, insecticides for animals, use of a hair dryer, or plastic bags) that are not listed in the list of products previously mentioned. Their alleged lack of toxicity has been questioned, and their adverse effects are not negligible and can be dangerous, as in the case of plastic bags on a child’s head.

Are Head Lice Treatments Dangerous?

All insecticides are toxic, and those used to control head lice are no exception. Whether over-the-counter or prescription, they can cause significant side effects. This is why some treatments are not authorized in Canada. This is the case of lindane shampoo, which is no longer recommended and has been withdrawn from the market due to its neurotoxic effect and failures attributed to resistance. All products recommended by public health authorities have been evaluated, and advisories are continually revised.

Are Head Lice Treatments Effective?

Medical authorities in several countries have reported cases of resistance to pyrethrins, permethrin, and lindane. A study demonstrated the presence of this type of resistance in a total of 120 lice from 16 infested children’s heads. Numerous reports of head lice treatment failures suggest the emergence and progression of resistance. The control strategy takes this new situation into account. No case of resistance has been reported regarding head lice products based on nature.

The fine comb is part of the lice removal therapy. Its use would improve the effectiveness of treatment and help stop or delay the development of resistance in lice-to-lice treatments.

Are They Necessary?

Studies indicate that one could get rid of head lice without using insecticides. One could instead use the fine comb on wet hair following a recommended procedure (sessions every 3 or 4 days until, in 3 consecutive sessions, no more lice or live nits are found). This approach could be as effective as the use of pediculicides. But, for now, Canadian and Quebec medical authorities reserve this type of treatment for specific cases. In general, the use of pediculicides remains the first treatment to use.

How To Remove Nits?

Each nit is firmly attached to a hair, close to the scalp, or an eyelash. If she is fertilized and can live, she hatches 7 to 12 days later. She releases a nymph, which will become an adult louse in 12 to 15 days. The surviving lice quickly seek another human head to settle and multiply.