Lice infestations can be very frustrating and difficult to get rid of. As a parent, it’s normal to feel exasperated when your child gets lice again and again. However, there are usually understandable reasons why some children are more susceptible to repeat lice infestations than others. In this article, we’ll explore the common causes behind repeated lice outbreaks and how to help protect your child.
It’s Very Contagious
The first key thing to understand about lice is that it spreads very easily through head-to-head contact. Lice cannot fly or jump; they crawl. But they crawl very quickly. All it takes is 15-30 seconds of head-to-head contact for lice to transfer from one person to another.
This is why lice outbreaks are so common in places like schools, daycares, sleepovers, sports teams, and camps where kids are constantly in close proximity. It’s not a sign of poor hygiene, it’s simply an occupational hazard of being a kid! If one child in the classroom, playgroup, etc. has lice, it’s very likely to spread to others.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are 6-12 million lice infestations in the United States every year among children 3-11 years old. With numbers this high, repeat infestations are bound to happen.
It Can Spread Within Families
Lice are also easily spread among family members. If one person in the household has lice, it’s important to check everyone’s head. Lice prefer clean hair and can infest any family member.
Don’t blame your child or think she keeps “catching” it from outside the home. Chances are, it’s being passed around between siblings, parents, and other close family contacts. Be sure to treat all affected family members at the same time to prevent spreading it back and forth.
Eggs Are Hard to See
Lice eggs, also called nits, are tiny. They look like tiny tan or yellow-colored dandruff flakes glued to the hair near the scalp. They are very hard to see, especially on blonde and light brown hair.
Nits hatch every 7-10 days and turn into adult lice, perpetuating the infestation cycle. Even if you diligently remove all live lice from the hair, any remaining nits will continue to hatch. This is why it’s so important to remove all nits during treatment.
It only takes missing a few stray nits for your daughter to get lice again. Use a bright light and comb hair section-by-section to systematically inspect and remove every nit. This tedious process is key for preventing repeat infestations.
It Can Linger in the Environment
In addition to spreading lice person-to-person, your daughter may also be picking them up from infested items. Lice and nits can survive for 1-2 days off the human head.
Items like hats, helmets, hair accessories, towels, bedding, upholstered furniture, and car seats can all harbor lice if used by an infected person. Lice do not infest the actual environment itself, but they can linger on shared personal items.
To stop reinfestation from contaminated items, have your daughter avoid sharing hats, brushes, helmets etc. with others during an outbreak. Wash all bed linens, towels, clothes and personal items in hot water after treatment.
Some Kids Are More Prone to Infestations
While lice infest all types of hair equally, some children do seem magnetically attracted to the pests:
– Girls: Girls get lice more frequently than boys, likely because they play closer together, do more hair touching, and have longer hair that’s harder to groom.
– Younger ages: Preschool and elementary age kids under 10 get the most lice because they hug, share personal items, and put heads together more often.
– Long/thick hair: Lice prefer living in longer, thicker hair that hasn’t been recently cut or conditioned. Shorter, well-conditioned hair helps deter lice.
– Active social life: Children who interact with many other kids have more exposure risk (schools, camps, teams, clubs, parties). Homeschooled kids are less susceptible.
– Shared bedrooms/beds: Kids who share close sleeping quarters with infected siblings have an increased chance of catching lice.
– Weakened immunity: Children with immune deficiencies, chronic illnesses, or poor nutrition may be more vulnerable to lice.
If your daughter fits several of these criteria, it could explain why she is more prone to repeat bouts of head lice. Extra diligence with prevention and treatment will be required.
Treatment Isn’t Always Effective
There are both over-the-counter and prescription treatment options for killing head lice. However, they do not always work perfectly for several reasons:
– The directions were not followed correctly. Most lice treatments require two applications, a week or two apart, to kill newly hatched lice. Skipping the second treatment is a common mistake.
– The treatment was not applied thoroughly from scalp to ends of the hair. Every strand must be saturated.
– Nits were not removed properly. Dead eggs still attached near the scalp can hatch and restart the infestation. Meticulous nit combing is essential.
– Reinfestation occurred. Lice treatments kill live lice but cannot prevent new lice from crawling onto the head. Continued infestations from family, friends or belongings can undermine treatment success.
– Resistance developed. Some lice populations have developed genetic resistance to common over-the-counter treatments like pyrethrins or permethrins. This has reduced their effectiveness in some geographic areas.
If the same lice medication has failed to eliminate the problem after 2-3 tries, speak to your pediatrician about prescription treatments or professional nit combing services. Rotating treatments with different active ingredients can also help manage resistant lice.
Prevention Between Outbreaks is Lacking
During an active lice infestation, most families are good about cleaning, combing, and using lice treatments. But diligence often slides between outbreaks once the lice appear to be gone.
Lice are expert hitchhikers, so you have to be vigilant about prevention ALL the time, even when you believe the lice are gone. Don’t let your guard down.
Here are some prevention tips to use consistently:
– Check your child’s head at least once a week for live lice and nits. Early detection makes treatment easier.
– Teach “no head-to-head” contact rules – no hugging or touching heads with other kids.
– Tie long hair back or braid it to minimize contact points.
– Avoid sharing personal items like hats, helmets, brushes, towels or bedding with others.
– Coat hair in tea tree, lavender or coconut oil – lice dislike the smell.
– Soak combs and brushes in rubbing alcohol, boiling water or lice shampoo between uses.
– Wash bedding regularly in hot water (at least 130°F) and dry on high heat.
Staying strict with prevention, even between infestations, is the best way to break the lice cycle long-term. If your daughter keeps getting reinfested, she likely requires extra protection.
It Can Take Months to Eliminate
Depending on the severity of the initial infestation, it can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks to fully break the lice cycle. This is because:
– It takes time for all nits to hatch into lice and get killed by treatment. Staggered hatching can prolong the cycle.
– Reinfestations can reset the clock – each new infestation extends the timeline further as eggs re-accumulate.
– Lice can hide in small sections of untreated hair and spread again after treatment appears successful.
Have realistic expectations that lice will not disappear overnight. Consistent, thorough treatment and prevention for 2-3 months are usually required to completely eliminate lice from the household.
Be patient and try not to become discouraged. Stick to a systematic lice busting routine and you will eventually get rid of them for good!
When to Ask For Help
Dealing with repeat bouts of lice can be stressful. But try not to lose hope! With consistent diligence on treatment and prevention, most families can beat lice for good.
However, if lice persist unchanged despite your best efforts for 2 months or more, it’s reasonable to seek professional help. Many communities offer specialized lice removal services performed by trained nit-pickers who can meticulously comb out every trace.
Prescription medication options are also available. Ask your pediatrician for pharmaceutical-grade treatments not accessible over-the-counter. Consider preventative cleaning of your home, car and belongings by a lice treatment service as well.
With personalized professional help and continued vigilance, your daughter can finally kick lice to the curb! Don’t give up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do lice spread so quickly through schools and daycares?
Lice thrive in places where children play in close proximity and share personal items. The bugs quickly transfer during activities like hugging, playing sports in huddles, sharing headphones, trying on classmates’ hats, laying heads on each others’ carpet squares during nap time, and more. Just a few seconds of head-to-head contact can pass them along. Schools and daycares are ground zero for transmission.
Can lice infest pets or home environments?
Lice cannot live long off the human head. Stray lice may crawl onto pillowcases, furniture, car seats and pet fur, but they will die within 1-2 days without a blood meal from a human scalp. Vacuuming and washing fabrics will remove traces. Only your child’s head requires treatment.
If my child has lice, should I shave her head to get rid of them?
Shaving the head is traumatic for children and not necessary. Lice grip the hair shaft but do not burrow into the scalp itself. Diligent use of a lice comb to remove nits and application of an effective lice treatment to kill live bugs are better approaches. If you choose to cut hair very short, be aware lice can still grip hair shafts as small as 1-2mm long.
How do I choose a lice treatment when there are so many options?
Start with an over-the-counter lice shampoo containing 1% permethrin or pyrethrins. Follow all instructions carefully, applying thoroughly and repeating as directed. If OTC treatments fail after 2-3 tries, ask your doctor about prescription lice medications containing different active ingredients like ivermectin, malathion or spinosad.
Can lice treatments be dangerous?
Lice medications are insecticides, so contact your doctor if your child has any conditions like pregnancy, breastfeeding, seizures, allergies, asthma or open wounds on the scalp before using lice shampoos or creams. Never overapply or combine treatments. With correct usage, lice products have a long record of safety. Monitor your child after treatment for any skin reactions.
How do I know when lice are finally gone for good?
Expect a lice infestation to take 1-2 months to fully resolve. Continue checking your child’s hair weekly and combing out every trace of nits. Keep using lice prevention habits like avoiding head-to-head contact. Once your child has been lice-free for 2-3 weeks with no nits spotted, do one final treatment. After that, you should be in the clear!
Conclusion
Having to deal with recurring lice is frustrating for any parent. But now that you know why repeat infestations happen and the best ways to combat them, you can tackle lice with confidence.
Be diligent with treatment, nit combing and prevention after every bout. Enlist help from your pediatrician if needed. Stick with it, and your household can outlast those pesky bugs once and for all!