Today, we present our second installment of the Facts of Lice. Last week, we talked about the affect of cold weather on lice and some commonly found myths- are they true, kinda true or just blatantly wrong.
If I thought I had lice, the first thing I would do – after screaming at the top of my lungs – is google “LICE REMOVAL.” The results, it turns out, are rather lousy. (Haha. Get it?) Many are just plain wrong.
So I went to a local expert, The Lice Place in Cool Springs, to get the facts and nothing but the facts. I was surprised by how little I knew, and by how wrong a lot of what I thought I knew about lice- and how to get rid of them- was.
Come on down . . .
Lice can’t be seen with the naked eye . . .
False.
Gross right? I always thought they were almost microscopic. But nits, or lice eggs, are tiny but can be seen. Babies are translucent, so also hard to see. Adult lice, however, are pretty unmistakable- and usually when they are discovered.
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Lice are EXTREMELY contagious. If you have them STAY AWAY from me . . .
Sorta true.
Lice are not contagious in a viral sense. They are rarely transferred in the environment. But contact allows them to transfer, and if you make head-to-head contact with someone who has lice, there is a strong chance you could be affected.
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Dogs and Cats and animals can get lice, or give me lice . . .
False.
Lice are strictly human-borne. They feed exclusively on human blood.
Once lice leave the scalp, they typically die within 24 hours unless they find a new human. Mites feed on dead skin cells, but lice don’t do that. So lice can’t live in your bed or other upholstery. Lice cling to the hair by nature, and don’t intentionally leave unless they find someplace better
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You don’t need chemical treatment to get rid of them . . .
True.
Phsyical removal is ALL that is necessary. Which is part of the treatment at the Lice Place. No need to burn your hair off or walk around looking like Anne Hathaway in Les Mis for three months after all.
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Check Back Next Week . . .
. . . when I will look at home remedies and talk turkey as in what are the things to do and not do immediately after you find out you might have been exposed to lice. You will be surprised by how crazy wrong many do-it-yourself, home solutions really are. Special thanks again to The Lice Place, for letting me know just how wrong the internet and I were.
And thanks for checking out this week’s installment of the Facts of Lice. Find The Lice Place at 8115 Isabella Lane, Suite #6 in Brentwood.
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