Moms Talk: Lice!

Welcome to Moms Talk, a feature here on Suisun City Patch dedicated to reaching moms and families. We invite you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support here in Suisun City. Additionally, you will have opportunity to ask questions or offer answers on issues and hot topics that concern you.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question from your Moms Council.

My daughter’s 2nd grade teacher sent her home with a note that said one of her classmates had lice and I am freaking out! How do I know if she has lice or not? Should I start sterilizing my entire house?

My answer: Lice is usually spread from a person having close contact to another person with lice or sharing a hat, headband, comb, brush, etc. that someone with lice has used. The strongest symptom to indicate your child may have head lice is an excessively itchy scalp. You might also want to check by combing a child’s hair over a light-colored towel. Adult lice are no bigger than a sesame seed and are grayish-white or tan; lice eggs appear as dots and are yellow, tan or brown in color.

If you do discover lice, you will want to contact your child’s school to make them aware. There are over-the-counter shampoos that can be used that will get rid of lice but do not always kill lice eggs, so you may want to consult a physician for what is the best product to use. There are also products that you can buy to kill lice that may be around the house still, but it may not be entirely helpful. Lice typically live up to only 48 hours when they are not hiding in hair.