Head lice are a common problem, with millions of students bringing them home to share each year. The itching may take a while to start for some patients, but if they are removed as soon as they’re found, there is not a lot of real harm that can be done. 

For most families, lice are a major inconvenience but can be dealt with quickly if properly treated, but what would happen if the lice went unchecked? Lice can’t be that dangerous right? Well as it turns out, lice have the potential to be very dangerous. The longer the lice are in your hair, the higher the chance of developing a serious medical issue. Here are a few of the biggest dangers of untreated head lice.

Infection from Head Lice

The first and most common symptom of head lice is an itchy scalp. While this by itself is bad enough and would have any lice patient begging for treatment, it only gets worse. Once the skin is irritated, it becomes almost impossible not to scratch. This is where the real damage is done. 

Scratching will leave micro-tears in the irritated skin. These tiny cuts allow for the saliva of the head lice to enter the blood, causing cellulitis and bacterial infection. Once a case of lice has gotten to this point, action needs to be taken immediately. If left for much longer, the infection can spread to the lymph nodes and escalate the situation from uncomfortable to life-threatening. After the saliva has gotten into the bloodstream, treatment will have to involve lice removal as well as a substantial course of antibiotics. 

Anemia from Lice

Because head lice feed on the blood of humans, a chronic infestation can cause other issues such as blood loss and iron deficiency. This only occurs in the most extreme cases. Most of the time head lice are fairly harmless, but they must get treated before any real medical harm can come to the patient. 

Spread to Others

One of the biggest risks with delaying treatment for head lice is that it allows these parasites to spread to others. Once the lice fully set up camp in the hair, they begin to multiply exponentially. Just one louse can lay up to 8 eggs in a day, and they lay eggs for weeks before they die. Lice don’t live off-hair for very long, so they are always looking for a way onto someone else’s head. You can do yourself and everyone around you a favor by dealing with the issue before it has a chance to spread.

Best Lice Treatment in Orlando, FL 

Lice are not a problem that will go away with time. Here at Fresh Heads lice clinic, we provide the best lice treatment in Orlando, FL. If you want to know more about head lice, or you are interested in booking an appointment in the Jacksonville, Fl, Orlando, FL, or Savannah, GA areas select the link here.  

Schools Without Lice

At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, our mission is to get rid of lice in schools across the United States. We’ve partnered with the Lice Clinics of America to create the Schools Without Lice program. Through this program, we provide school nurses and teachers with free screenings, resources, and treatments. Together, we can have schools without lice!