If you've read this new study about "super lice" that are resistant to pyrethroids, the chemicals used in common over-the-counter lice-removal treatments, then you're kind of freaked out. And if your daily routine puts you anywhere close to small children, you're probably already doing some sympathetic itching. Here's what you need to know (and yes, enough already with the group selfies).
First, it's true that the lice today are resistant to most of the medications out there, but no, they are not some new "breed" of lice, so there's no reason to freak out. I spoke with Deborah Altschuler, the president of the National Pediculosis Association (NPA), the only nonprofit health and education agency dedicated to lice and scabies issues; Katie Shepherd, a lice expert who has been teaching people how to remove and treat head lice for 15 years; and Francesca Fusco, a dermatologist in New York City who's also a scalp expert, about these pests and how to rid yourself of even the drug-resistent little buggers.