Dangers of Untreated Lice Omaha

We all know about the signs and symptoms of head lice. The itchiness, the rash, and the irritation are usually enough to have anyone seeking treatment as soon as possible. But what happens if lice go untreated? What do Lice start to look like? Lice don’t live forever, so why not just wait out the problem? Well, it may be true that lice don’t live for very long, about 30 days, that is plenty of time for them to settle in and reproduce before they die. Lice don’t hesitate to start reproducing as soon as they’ve found a new host, so it’s important to deal with these parasites before the problem worsens. Here are a few of the issues that can stem from delaying the treatment of head lice.

Bacterial infection and cellulitis

The most potentially harmful side effect of delaying treatment is death. Let me explain. Once head lice make your hair their new home, the skin becomes irritated and itchy. You scratch of course, how could you not. The scratching against the irritated skin creates tiny little cuts that allow for the saliva from the lice to get into the bloodstream. Once the bacteria from the saliva has entered the body, it is only a matter of time before infection sets in. Cellulitis is one form of bacterial infection that commonly occurs with head lice. If the infection is left alone, it can spread to the lymph nodes, and progress even further until the infection is life-threatening. Once the infection progresses to this point, it will take a course of powerful antibiotics to get you back on your feet.

Spread to others

The main problem that stems from putting off treatment for head lice is that it provides an opportunity for the issue to spread to other people. Once the lice get into the hair, reproduction becomes the number one priority. One might ask how long can lice live off humans? The infestation will worsen exponentially as the tiny critters lay eggs. Each louse can produce 6 to 8 eggs every day, and over the course of their month-long lives, they can produce over 200 other lice. The more lice there are in your hair, the more likely it is that they will get onto the surface around you. By going without treatment, the likelihood of getting head lice increases for those around you. If you want to do the right thing, then always make sure you seek treatment before potentially spreading the problem to someone else.

Lice Clinics of America

If you know someone that thinks they might be dealing with head lice, then it is important that they seek treatment as soon as possible. Lice doesn’t go away over time. Here at Lice Clinics of America of Omaha, we provide the largest professional lice removal service, with over 950,000 successful treatments. If you want to know more about head lice treatment, or you are interested in booking an appointment, select the book now button at the top of this page.