Although many consider Halloween to be the kickoff to the holiday season, Thanksgiving is the holiday that really gets everything started. It’s the first fall/winter holiday where school is let out for several days, and families and friends gather together. Seeing relatives and loved ones you haven’t seen for some time means that there might be an influx of hugging and cuddling, which is a ripe opportunity for head lice to be spread. Head lice don’t care what time of the year it is, they just want a warm head to feed on and lay their eggs and they will happily infest a new host if they get the chance!

Even if it’s never happened before, it’s entirely possible for a family member to bring a case of head lice to a family gathering without anyone knowing it, others may not want anyone to know. Too many people deal with head lice in silence because they’re self-conscious, thinking that head lice are a symptom of poor hygiene or a dirty home. However, this is completely untrue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.”

“When we don’t talk about head lice and how to prevent and treat it, we actually increase the odds of being infested,” says Shannon Steele, owner of Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro, serving North East Arkansas and South East Missouri. “It may be an uncomfortable topic to talk about, but it’s important to do so in order to help prevent the spread of lice.”

When a case of lice isn’t spoken about to anyone, the spread of it can go unchecked. Even if you or your child are treated for head lice, you won’t know who else has it unless someone speaks up. The main reason why people don’t talk about head lice is out of fear: fear of being unfairly judged for being infested, or fear of the nature of head lice itself. Well-known lice treatments often require multiple applications, and, during those treatments, only live bugs are killed. This means in order to be successful hours and hours of treatments and combing have to take place before all forms of head lice are gone.

The AirAllé treatment takes about an hour and is incredibly effective because it not only kills the lice – but, it kills the eggs, so they never hatch, which means no “nit-picking” is required.   As part of our service, we do offer a comb-out to remove any of the dead debris from the hair.  The best part is customers go home lice-free. In turn, it also makes their holidays worry-free and that much more enjoyable!

Lice Clinics of America has over 300 clinics in 35 countries, making it the world’s largest network of professional lice treatment centers. Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro is located at 3114 Fox Road Suite D, Jonesboro, AR 72404 and is open 7 days a week by appointment. Call 870-322-6056 or visit www.LiceClinicsJonesboro.com for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Just thinking about head lice can make you start itching. If your school or daycare center has notified you that head lice have been detected, you’ll want to check your child (and yourself) immediately. According to Shannon, owner of Lice Clinics of America Jonesboro, here are some of the signs your child may have head lice:

1. Scratching: If your child is scratching his or her head more than usual, it may be time to check for lice. The most common symptom of head lice is itching. This is because lice bites can cause an allergic reaction in many people, which stimulates the itchy sensation. However, it can take a few weeks for this symptom to develop.
2. Tickling sensation: Some children experience a “tickly” feeling from lice bites or from lice touching their skin. This is a less severe reaction than the itching.
3. Sores or scratch marks: If you see sores or scratch marks on your child’s head or neck, it can be a sign your child has an active lice infestation. Children often scratch harder than they need to, which can break the skin and cause sores and scabs.
4. Disruption of sleep patterns: Head lice can make sleep difficult for youngsters. If your child is having a harder time than usual going to sleep or staying asleep, that might be a sign that head lice have invaded his or her scalp.
5. Irritability: If your child is more irritable than usual, this can be an indication that head lice are present. Irritability often coincides with chronic itchiness and sleeplessness. These symptoms can combine, especially when an infestation is more mature.

It’s important to point out that an itchy scalp alone is not always an indication of head lice. “Itchiness can also be a symptom of other harmless conditions, such as dandruff, allergies, or a reaction to a hair product,” said Shannon.  “Make sure you do your due diligence and double check.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), misdiagnosis of head lice infestation is common. The most reliable symptom, of course, is the presence of a live louse or lice on a child’s head.

How to Spot Lice

To be sure that your child has lice, you’ll need to do a physical inspection of his or her head and neck. “Checking your child’s head for lice is a simple process,” said Shannon.  “First, start at the nape area of the neck and around their ears. These are the locations where lice are most likely to live. They stay very near the scalp to stay warm, about a quarter of an inch from the skin. Separate the hair as finely as possible. It helps to wet the hair first as it takes care of the wispy hair. Head lice are about the size of a sesame seed. They can be difficult to see, so some people suggest using a magnifying glass if you have one. If you have a louse comb, run it through the hair multiple times, wiping it on a paper towel after each pass. Inspect the paper towel to see if you pull head lice or nymphs (young lice) from the hair. You’re three to five times more likely to accurately diagnose a lice infestation if you comb first, versus just visually inspecting the hair.”

About Eggs (Nits)

Identifying and removing live lice is just one step in the lice treatment process. “It’s just as important to identify and remove all eggs (nits). If all eggs are not killed or removed, they will hatch and you’ll have a fresh case of head lice on your hands,” said Shannon. “Lice eggs are tiny, camouflaged, and they stick with a strong glue-like substance to the hair. Finding and removing eggs, also known as nitpicking, is best done using a fine-toothed comb.” Nits are often confused with other particles found in hair such as dandruff, hair spray droplets, and dirt particles.

Don’t Panic

“The most important thing to remember is to not panic,” says Shannon. “While a case of head lice can be stressful and frustrating for parents and children, please keep in mind head lice do not cause serious health problems. In addition, lice infestations are completely unrelated to personal hygiene. The only reason your child has lice is because he or she had close contact with someone else that had lice.”

The good news is new technology now makes treating head lice fast and easy. Lice Clinics of America’s AirAllé device is an FDA-cleared medical device, clinically proven to kill live lice and more than 99 percent of eggs in as little as an hour, guaranteed. To learn more or to find a clinic near you, visit www.liceclinicsofamerica.com.

Lice Clinics of America has over 330 treatment centers in 35 countries, making it the world’s largest network of professional lice treatment centers. Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro, AR is located at 3114 Fox Road, Suite D and is open seven days a week by appointment. Call 870-322-6056, email info@liceclinicsjonesboro.com, or visit www.LiceClinicsJonesboro.com for more information or to schedule an appointment.

When kids get lice, two of the most commonly asked questions parents ask at Lice Clinics of America® – Jonesboro are, 1) why wasn’t I notified that lice were found at my child’s school? And, 2) why aren’t kids with lice sent home from school until they are lice-free?

“The majority of schools have moved away from ‘no-nit’ policies that require students to stay out of school until they are lice and nit free,” says Jennifer Cavenaugh, Manager of Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro. “The recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) have all stated that no-nit policies should be discontinued.”

The past decade has seen a significant shift in the medical and educational communities about how to deal with head lice. “Doctors, nurses, and teachers now recognize that head lice do not represent a serious health threat and a case of head lice does not warrant missing valuable school time,” Jennifer said. “Also, while some schools will notify the parents of children that are found with head lice, most schools don’t warn other families because of the panic and blame that often take place.”

The policy changes are designed to help keep children from missing class, shield children with lice from embarrassment, and protect their privacy. The CDC lists the following reasons for the change in policy:

• Many nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp. Such nits are usually not viable and very unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may, in fact, be empty shells, also known as ‘casings.’
• Nits are cemented to hair shafts and are very unlikely to be transferred successfully to other people.
• The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families, and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice.
• Misdiagnosis of nits is very common during nit checks conducted by nonmedical personnel.

According to the AAP, “Most cases of head lice are acquired outside of school.” That’s why “the AAP continues to recommend that a healthy child should not be restricted from attending school because of head lice or nits (eggs). Pediatricians are encouraged to educate schools and communities that no-nit policies are unjust and should be abandoned. Children can finish the school day, be treated, and return to school.”

The reality for most school districts is that the effort involved in keeping schools entirely lice-free would be a futile use of their limited resources. The CDC estimates that there are 6-12 million cases of head lice in children between the ages of 3-11. This means that at least 1 in 5 students have lice at any given time. In the early stages of a case of head lice, many children display no symptoms as nits, and adolescent lice, don’t bite and don’t cause the itching sensation that indicates the presence of head lice.

Keeping a school lice-free would require constant checks of the entire student body, which is unrealistic and unnecessary for a condition that is not considered a health problem. That’s the conclusion that the CDC, AAP, and NASN have come to, and many school districts are following these recommendations.

“No-nit policies were developed because traditional lice treatments can take several weeks to be effective,” Jennifer said. “The first treatment is designed to kill live lice but doesn’t kill eggs, or nits. Since nits can hatch over ensuing weeks, combing and nit-picking are required with traditional treatment.”

“The good news for families in North East Arkansas is that there are new lice treatments available that can kill live lice and nits in a single session,” Jennifer said. “Lice Clinics of America offers head lice treatment using a first-of-its-kind, AirAllé® medical device, which has been cleared by the FDA, clinically proven to kill live lice in more than 99 percent of nits in a single treatment, and takes about an hour.”

The AirAllé device uses carefully controlled warm air to dehydrate lice and eggs, and in the company’s network of 300+ clinics around the world, nearly 400,000 cases of head lice have been successfully treated.

“With the AirAllé device, your lice nightmare is over in about an hour, guaranteed,” Jennifer said. “Regardless of your school’s head lice policy, kids can go right back to school the same day.”

Lice Clinics of America has over 330 treatment centers in 35 countries, making it the world’s largest network of professional lice treatment centers. Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro is located at 3114 Fox Road, Suite D and is open seven days a week by appointment. Call 870-497-2980, email info@liceclinicsjonesboro.com, or visit www.liceclinicsjonesboro.com for more information or to schedule an appointment.