PORT
SAINT LUCIE, Florida / September 7, 2010
Physicians Immediate Care, one of the region’s
premier providers of ambulatory and urgent
health care, says Lice Season is here.
Back-to-school typically signals the time
parents should start keeping a wary eye on their
children for signs of lice infestations.
The main symptom of a head lice infestation is
an itchy scalp from the bites of the lice. The
bites can then become infected, and may appear
red or crusty, and may lead to your child
developing swollen lymph glands in his neck.
“Children with head lice will have gray or
reddish brown live head lice scurrying around
their scalp,” said Kenneth Palestrant, M.D.,
Physicians Immediate Care, “Lice are small,
about the size of a sesame seed, and although
they don't fly or hop, they can crawl very fast,
making them hard to spot.,” he added.
Another sign that can help you determine whether
your child has lice, is finding nits, or lice
eggs, attached to your child's hair. Nits are
small, oval shaped and usually a yellowish-white
color and are firmly attached to the side of
hair shafts.
According to Dr. Palestrant the treatment for
head lice is typically the use of a lice
shampoo. “The main treatments for head lice
usually involve using a head lice shampoo, like
Rid or Nix, and then patiently and diligently
removing nits with a lice comb,” added Dr.
Palestrant.
Be
sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions
for whatever products you choose to use. Also be
sure to wash your child's clothing and bedding
in hot water and vacuum to remove lice and nits
from furniture, carpets, stuffed animals, etc.
For light infestations or if you are
uncomfortable using an anti-lice shampoo, you
can try to simply remove the live lice and nits
manually.
Lice Facts
-
Nits hatch in
7-10 days and develop into an adult in
another 7-10 days which can then lay more
(up to 100) eggs. So it is important to
remove all of the nits to break this cycle.
Also, since anti-lice shampoos don't usually
kill nits, you have to usually retreat the
child in 7-10 days to kill any newly hatched
lice.
-
Children are
often misdiagnosed with head lice because
they have hair casts that resemble nits, or
they have dead or empty nits that are far
away from the scalp. If you think your child
has lice but you don't actually see any live
lice, visit Physicians Immediate Care to
confirm the diagnosis.
-
Be careful
before trying 'alternative' treatments, like
mayonnaise, Vaseline, olive oil or Tea Tree
oil. Although they are 'natural' treatments,
they are untested, and products like
mayonnaise can be hard to get out of a
child's hair (dishwashing liquid is supposed
to make it easier though).
-
If you want to
make sure your child is getting the proper
treatment for head lice, visit Physicians
Immediate Care.
Physicians Immediate Care measures its success
through patient satisfaction and extraordinary
care. Physicians Immediate Care also offers
employers professional services for workers
compensation, routine exams, and drug testing.
Physicians Immediate Care provides a convenient,
cost effective alternative to emergency rooms
and doctor’s offices from offices at 1900 SE
Port Saint Lucie Boulevard, 4007 SW Port Saint
Lucie Boulevard in the Para Center, 550 South US
Highway One, Ft. Pierce, and now open in Saint
Lucie West at 1730 SW St. Lucie West Boulevard.
Physicians Immediate Care provides prompt
medical attention, with no appointment
necessary, Monday through Friday 08:00 a.m.
until 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 08:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m. For additional information
call (772) 343-1774, or visit their website at
www.immedcare.com.
