Southampton pharmacist David Coleman gives some advice on the annual problem that parents face nits

Pharmacists across Hampshire will be familiar with the annual invasion of parents in a state approaching hysteria having heard the word nits outside the school gate.

No assault on the respectability of families seems quite like the stigma of headlice.

The first problem pharmacists face is to discourage parents from trying to prevent infestation by routinely applying louse treatments.

This is a bad idea, because it gives the little horrors the opportunity to become resistant.

Resistance of insects, and bacteria, is a very serious problem worldwide. Apart from this it also doesn't work - for lots of reasons.

So what should a responsible parent be doing?

Well firstly, this may be cold comfort but try to accept that if your child has headlice, it is no reflection on how clean you are.

Lice love a clean head of hair, especially if it is also long.

Secondly, pay regular attention to combing, particularly if your child has long hair.

I'm sure I would hate it if I were a headlouse - it would be like being caught in an avalanche!

There is some evidence (admittedly tentative) that regular combing discourages breeding because the lice get injured.

But one of the reasons why trials, which compared combing to treatment with insecticides, failed to show benefit is believed to be because children hate having their hair combed and mums don't keep it up.

But it must be better than dousing your head with insecticide surely?

Using conditioner on the hair makes it easier. It's even better if you do it with a fine toothed nit comb from the chemists.

The important messages are - keep doing it, and do it carefully.

Some parents revolt totally against using insecticide nit lotions anyway. They are, after all, a bit grim.

For them, it is particularly important that their children are regular combers.

But if this has failed, what then?

First find the evidence that the horrors are back. Itchy scalp doesn't always equal headlice infestation.

They are visible, they move, and they will come out stuck to a comb. Now you ought to be off to the chemist round the corner!