PORT SAINT LUCIE, Florida/September 17, 2009 Physicians Immediate Care, one of the region's premier providers of ambulatory and urgent health care, says Lice Season is here. Back-to-school typically signals the time parents should start keeping a wary eye on their children for signs of lice infestations.

The main symptom of a head lice infestation is an itchy scalp from the bites of the lice. The bites can then become infected, and may appear red or crusty, and may lead to your child developing swollen lymph glands in his neck. "Children with head lice will have gray or reddish brown live head lice scurrying around their scalp," said Kenneth Palestrant, M.D., Physicians Immediate Care, "Lice are small, about the size of a sesame seed, and although they don't fly or hop, they can crawl very fast, making them hard to spot.," he added.

Another sign that can help you determine whether your child has lice, is finding nits, or lice eggs, attached to your child's hair. Nits are small, oval shaped and usually a yellowish-white color and are firmly attached to the side of hair shafts.

According to Dr. Palestrant the treatment for head lice is typically the use of a lice shampoo. " The main treatments for head lice usually involve using a head lice shampoo, like Rid or Nix, and then patiently and diligently removing nits with a lice comb," added Dr. Palestrant.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for whatever products you choose to use. Also be sure to wash your child's clothing and bedding in hot water and vacuum to remove lice and nits from furniture, carpets, stuffed animals, etc.

For light infestations or if you are uncomfortable using an anti-lice shampoo, you can try to simply remove the live lice and nits manually.

Lice Facts

·Nits hatch in 7-10 days and develop into an adult in another 7-10 days which can then lay more (up to 100) eggs. So it is important to remove all of the nits to break this cycle. Also, since anti-lice shampoos don't usually kill nits, you have to usually retreat the child in 7-10 days to kill any newly hatched lice.

·Children are often misdiagnosed with head lice because they have hair casts that resemble nits, or they have dead or empty nits that are far away from the scalp. If you think your child has lice but you don't actually see any live lice, visit Physicians Immediate Care to confirm the diagnosis.

·Be careful before trying 'alternative' treatments, like mayonaise, vaseline, olive oil or Tea Tree oil. Although they are 'natural' treatments, they are untested, and products like mayonaise can be hard to get out of a child's hair (dishwashing is supposed to make it easier though).

·If you want to make sure your child is getting the proper treatment for head lice, visit Physicians Immediate Care.

Physicians Immediate Care measures its success through patient satisfaction and extraordinary care. Physicians Immediate Care also offers employers professional services for workers compensation, routine exams, and drug testing. Physicians Immediate Care provides a convenient, cost effective alternative to emergency rooms and doctor's offices from their original facilities at 1900 SE Port Saint Lucie Boulevard and at 4007 SW Port Saint Lucie Boulevard in the PaarCenter. Physicians Immediate Care provides prompt medical attention, with no appointment necessary, Monday through Friday 09:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 09:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. For additional information call (772) 398-1588.

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