What Happens If You Ignore Your Child’s Head Lice

Head lice—they’re wingless parasitic insects that mostly affect school going children because of their close contact with one another. While lice can cause a lot of itching and discomfort, they are not a sign of a dangerous disease.  

If lice aren’t causing harm to your child health, why do you need to remove them?

Living with lice…

Ignoring your child’s head lice can aggravate the situation. Lice can affect anyone, anytime.

Lice spread from one person to another due to head-to-head contact. When your child is in close proximity to a classmate with lice, they are likely to get lice.

Louse doesn’t fly or jump. Remember, they are wingless creatures that crawl and spread from one person to another. Lice can spread very quickly. This is why you need to inspect your child’s hair on a daily basis.

Infection

If you do not remove your child’s head lice, untreated lice can lead to an infestation. An itchy scalp is the main sign of an infestation. Persistent scratching of the scalp can lead to rashes and sores, which may cause an infection.

Lice may cause some serious infections, such as:

Cellulitis

This is a bacterial infection of the skin. Staphylococcus and streptococcus are the main types of bacteria that can cause cellulitis.

Common signs of cellulitis include redness, swelling, pain and so on. Zithromax usually works for treating cellulitis.

Impetigo

Impetigo is another bacterial skin infection that is often linked to untreated head lice. Unlike cellulitis, impetigo is contagious. It’s caused by staph and strep bacteria.

Common signs of impetigo include severe rashes or small blisters. This type of infection can be treated with an antibiotic.

Piedra infection

Last but not least, piedra is an infection of the hair shaft. It can be caused by an untreated lice infestation. In addition, it can lead to nodules on the affected hair.

Trichosporon (fungus) is the main cause of this infection. Apart from nodules, signs of piedra infection include pain and itching in scalp. In most cases, antifungal creams and medications are used to treat it.

The bottom line

In addition to the risk of infection, getting caught with lice can be quite embarrassing for young kids. Untreated lice can negatively affect a child’s self-confidence level.

For prompt, effective and natural lice removal, we’ve got you covered! At Lice Busters, we offer complete lice inspection and removal, using pesticide free products and technique, in Miami Beach.