(870) 497-2980 | 3114 Fox Road, Suite D, Jonesboro, AR 72404

I’ve Been in Lockdown – How did I get Lice?

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many around the world have stayed indoors to help prevent the disease’s spread. College students are participating in lectures online, adults are telecommuting from home, and their kids are in Zoom meetings and Google Hangouts for school. Yet in this unprecedented era of social distancing, lice are an epidemic that parents are still battling. With schools across the country operating either partially or completely online, how are families still catching head lice?

 

The Frustrating Reality of Lice

 

What most people don’t know is that a case of head lice often begins without any noticeable symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an infestation can even take up to six weeks to notice. And in roughly half the cases, infested individuals are asymptomatic. That means some individuals may not realize they’ve been infested for several months.

 

So, if you or your child have come down with a case of head lice while social distancing, it’s very possible that your infestation began before stay-at-home policies were in effect.

 

“It’s a confusing experience people are having,” says Shannon Steele, owner of Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro. “People are coming into our clinic saying they’ve been at home, they’re not visiting friends or family, and they have no idea how they caught lice. They’re in shock when we explain that they likely caught it before lockdown even began.”

 

Quarantining with an Infested Family Member

 

A lack of symptoms isn’t the only hurdle that families and individuals with head lice face. The primary way that head lice spread is by direct head-to-head contact. This means that one infested member of the household often unknowingly infests others in the family. If just that one person gets checked and treated for lice, members of the same household may be passing lice around to each other for months without realizing that the infestations are coming from each other!

 

What to Do

 

Home remedies and over-the-counter treatment products may seem like the ideal first line of defense. However, these methods are ineffective at best and potentially dangerous at worst.

 

The difficulties of social distancing don’t have to be made worse by suffering from head lice—save yourself the hassle and extra money and contact Lice Clinics of America. Our exclusive, FDA-approved lice treatment device, the AirAllé, uses controlled heated air to kill more than 99 percent of lice and eggs (nits) in just one hour. Our clinics are also taking extra safety and sanitary precautions to ensure that our customers and our staff are comfortable and safe. We are committed to making sure that you will walk out our doors healthy, happy, and lice-free.

 

Lice Clinics of America has successfully treated more than 675,000 cases of head lice. The company has more than 265 clinics in 20 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.

 

Chemicals in Lice-Treatment Products Linked to Health Problems in Children

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A study in Occupational and Environmental Medicine reports what many have feared for decades—that “exposure to certain pyrethroids, at environmental levels, may negatively affect neurobehavioral development by six years of age.” Pyrethroids are a class of chemicals used in insecticides, including the most popular head-lice medications.

For the study, the researchers measured levels of five pyrethroid metabolites in the urine of women in the early stages of pregnancy and, later, in their 6-year-olds to see if there was a link between being exposed to the chemical in utero and childhood, and behavior that could suggest neurodevelopmental damage.

“Pyrethroids are neurotoxins, says clinic owner Shannon Steele, owner of Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro. “They work by disrupting the nervous systems of insects, killing them in the process. Health advocates have for years questioned the medical wisdom of putting neurotoxins on children’s scalps.”

Pyrethroid Chemicals in Lice Products: Study Results

There were three pyrethroid metabolites chemicals in lice products that showed up most often in the urine of mothers and their children: trans-DCCA, cis-DBCA, and cis-DCCA. The conclusion of the study was that “Overall, children with the highest levels of metabolites in their urine were three times more likely to have abnormal behavior than those with lower levels. As a result, the researchers concluded that pyrethroids might alter neurochemical signaling in the brain.”

This follows a 2015 study in Environmental Health that found that “Pyrethroid pesticides cause abnormalities in the dopamine system and produce an ADHD phenotype in animal models, with effects accentuated in males versus females. However, data regarding the behavioral effects of pyrethroid exposure in children is limited.”

While neither study proves a medical link between pyrethroids and behavioral change in children, there is certainly reason for concern. Pyrethroids remain the first line of defense against head lice recommended by many doctors. This is changing, but not necessarily due to health concerns. Multiple studies performed in recent years have found that most head lice in the United States and other countries are developing resistance to pyrethroids, so these neurotoxins that parents are putting on their children’s heads are losing effectiveness.

New Recommended Treatments for Head Lice

The medical world is starting to shift gears. In 2015 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidance on head lice treatment as new products were introduced after the AAP’s 2010 report.  The new report was published in the journal Pediatrics, and it highlights some exciting new developments in the battle against head lice, including the revolutionary AirAllé medical device.

“The ideal treatment of lice should be safe, free of toxic chemicals, readily available without a prescription, easy to use, effective, and inexpensive,” the AAP said.  The article notes that the overall spending on lice treatment has risen to nearly $1 billion annually, with as many as 12 million children contracting head lice each year.

The AAP lists the AirAllé medical device as an effective lice treatment device: “The AirAllé (Larada Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT) is a custom-built machine that uses one 30-minute application of hot air in an attempt to desiccate the lice.” It uses no chemicals and instead dehydrates lice and eggs. Clinical studies found that the AirAllé kills live lice and more than 99 percent of eggs in a single session. In addition to being chemical-free, the treatment eliminates the need for weeks of nitpicking to make sure all eggs are removed.

The AirAllé medical device is available exclusively at Lice Clinics of America treatment centers. Lice Clinics of America is the world’s largest and fastest-growing network of professional lice clinics, with hundreds of clinics in some 20 countries.

About Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro

Lice Clinics of America has successfully treated more than 700,000 cases of head lice. The company has more than 265 clinics in 20 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.

Why You Need A Lice Comb

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When it comes to tackling a case of head lice, one recommendation you’ll find over and over by lice experts is to do combing. Combing can serve as both a confirmation of whether someone has head lice, as well as a way to treat an infestation by physically removing the bugs and nits.

 

“If you are going to treat lice at home, you will definitely need to comb out the lice and nits, even if you are using some sort of topical solution,” says Shannon Steele, owner of Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro.

 

Many tools known as lice combs are available on the market today to aid in the combing process. But is a dedicated comb for head lice truly necessary? What differentiates a lice comb from regular hair combs?

 

Hair Combs vs. Lice Combs

Typically, an adult louse grows to the size of a sesame seed. The eggs (also called nits) that they lay are, of course, even smaller. Because the size of head lice and their eggs is so small, the gaps between an average hair comb’s teeth are just too big to effectively catch them. The plastic material that most hair combs are made of is also too smooth to “grip” any nits and bugs enough to remove them from the hair.

 

By comparison, lice combs have teeth that are precisely spaced so lice and eggs of all sizes are unable to pass through. Most lice combs have durable metal teeth that often have grooves specifically designed to help the comb “grip” and remove any lice and eggs that are found. This is especially important in the removal of lice eggs, which are fixated so strongly to the hair shafts that the only way to remove them is by forcefully sliding them for the full length of the hair strand. Without the features of a dedicated lice comb, a hair comb will have little to no effect on an infestation of lice.

 

Even with a dedicated lice comb, effectively removing all lice and nits can be a challenge for someone who has never done it before.

 

“People come in all the time to our clinics saying, ‘I’ve been combing every day for weeks, but we still have lice,’” Steele says. “There is certainly a technique to using a lice comb effectively. While most clients prefer us to do the treatments for them, we are happy to instruct them on how to properly use a lice comb if they decide to self-treat at home.”

 

The Lice Clinics of America lice comb adheres to the standards required of a lice comb to be effective. Our professional technicians use the comb in all of our lice treatment clinics worldwide. You can purchase a Lice Clinics of America lice comb for home use from Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro.

 

Lice Clinics of America has successfully treated more than 675,000 cases of head lice. The company has more than 265 clinics in 20 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.

 

Why Over-the-Counter Head Lice Products Won’t Work

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When a child has head lice, many parents go into panic mode and will do almost anything to get rid of the lice as quickly as possible. After grabbing the first lice treatment they see at the drugstore, they race home to put a stop to the head lice infesting their child. Sadly, weeks later they are often still combing out lice eggs.

There are three problems with this treatment approach. Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro owner Shannon Steele explains why:

“For starters, a majority of over the counter (OTC) products don’t work anymore, at least not in the United States,” says Steele. “According to the website ‘Beyond Pesticides,’ virtually all lice in the United States have developed resistance to the OTC and prescription shampoos containing the toxic chemical Permethrin. Several recent studies have confirmed the widespread resistance of head lice to retail products.”

“This isn’t really controversial,” said John Clark in a 2014 article titled “Head Lice Growing Resistant to Standard Meds.” Clark is a professor of environmental toxicology and chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and co-author of one of the studies of resistant head lice. “This is a problem we’ve been showing in development over a period of about 20 years. But our new work now shows that head lice are now almost 100 percent [resistant]. That means there’s an awful lot of resistant insects out there in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

“The second reason to avoid commercial lice-removal products is that they may not be safe. Permethrin is a neurotoxin that kills lice by shutting down the insect’s central nervous system,” Steele says. “Lice-removal products have been deemed safe when used as directed, but overuse is common. Panicked parents often over-apply the product, and it may cause serious health problems.”

Richard Clapp, an environmental health expert and professor emeritus at Boston University, has said that Permethrin, especially when combined with other problematic chemicals, can cause seizures and, down the road, behavioral problems. In a 2009 memo, the EPA classified Permethrin as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” in some conditions.

Environmentally relevant levels of pyrethroids—the class of pesticide that includes Permethrin—are also common in some household insecticide products. This means that adding lice shampoo, even the amount directed, to the level of pyrethroids already in a home can overexpose children to the pesticide.

“Finally, the third reason for thinking twice before using OTC lice-removal products is that they are not ovicidal, meaning, they don’t kill lice eggs, or nits, which is a real problem in the battle against head lice,” says Steele.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pyrethrins (another type of pyrethroids) can only kill live lice, not unhatched eggs (nits). Nits are affixed to hair shafts with a very strong glue-like substance and must be manually removed.

“If every nit is not removed, you’ll simply get a new case of head lice when the eggs hatch a week or so after the treatment is applied,” continues Steele.

Fortunately, there’s a pesticide-free alternative to lice-removal medications. It’s a medical device (rather than a shampoo), known as the AirAllé device, that uses heated air to dehydrate and kill head lice and 99.2 percent of lice eggs. It’s been clinically proven to be safe and effective and has been cleared for use by the FDA. Treatments using this device are available exclusively at Lice Clinics of America treatment centers throughout the United States and around the world. In most cases, head lice are removed in a single 60- to 90-minute treatment, and the treatment is guaranteed to be effective by the clinic.

About Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro

Lice Clinics of America has successfully treated more than 700,000 cases of head lice. The company has more than 265 clinics in 20 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.

The Science Behind the World’s Only One-Hour Head Lice Treatment

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It took a biologist researching the evolution of parasites to discover that head lice can be completely eradicated with desiccation, or “drying them out.” Dr. Dale Clayton, a biology professor at the University of Utah, found that lice on birds in more arid climates had a harder time surviving than those on birds in more humid climates. When his own children suffered from a bout of head lice and lice shampoos had little effect, he decided to test a theory and see if drying the head lice with heated air would eradicate them.

 

Dr. Clayton and his team of student scientists created the AirAllé® (pronounced ‘air-uh-LAY’), a device that concentrates heated air near the scalp—without burning it—where head lice prefer to hang out and lay their eggs. After about 30 minutes, the device can completely eliminate all head lice and their eggs (nits), with less than a one percent chance of recurrence. “It’s the only head lice treatment available that is guaranteed to get rid of everything—lice and their eggs—in just one visit,” says Shannon Steele, owner of Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro.

 

Lice Clinics of America (LCA) has exclusive rights to use the FDA-cleared medical device to treat head lice. No chemicals or pesticides are necessary, which is good news for parents. “Head lice, known as ‘super lice,’ have been found to have developed a resistance to most over-the-counter products, making those products less effective,” says Steele. “Using the AirAllé, we can have clients out the door, lice and nit-free, in about an hour.”

 

After trying everything from blow dryers to heated rice bag caps, Dr. Clayton and his team discovered that heated air, if applied at the correct temperature at the right location for a specific amount of time, quickly kills head lice and kills their eggs over 99 percent of the time.

 

“It’s so rewarding to be able to offer such an effective treatment to parents who are stressed out and frustrated in their unsuccessful attempts to eliminate head lice. They’re always so relieved when they see their ‘lice nightmare’ has come to an end,” says Steele.

 

About Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro

 

Lice Clinics of America has successfully treated more than 700,000 cases of head lice. The company has more than 265 clinics in 20 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.

A Word from Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro and Dr. Lauer

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“Day in and day out, here at Lice Clinics of America, we have clients who come in who have tried home remedies that simply do not work,” says Shannon Steele, owner of Lice Clinics of America Jonesboro which services NEA and SEM. “Traditional over the counter treatments are also proving to be more and more ineffective as lice continue to develop an immunity to the chemicals used in them.”

“Often, we have clients who come in who have tried something mildly dangerous in their attempt to treat head lice on their own,” says Shannon Steele. “We wanted to share a word from our National Medical Director, where she shares her expertise on why home methods don’t work and how dangerous they can become.”

From Dr. Krista Lauer:

“As Lice Clinics of America head lice professionals, we are all used to having the most effective and safe head lice treatment at our fingertips,” says Dr. Krista Lauer, National Medical Director of Lice Clinics of America. “It seems unfathomable that some people are still suggesting alternative remedies without any scientific basis. Even more concerning is the fact that many of these recommendations could be dangerous.”

A few months ago, someone posted a comment on a Lice Clinics of America Facebook post suggesting kerosene as an effective treatment for head lice. This came with a “how to” guide. “They suggested parting the hair into sections, applying kerosene to each section and sitting in the sun for a period,” says Dr. Lauer. “Needless to say, I was shocked!”

This comment came just a few months after a news story about a 16-year-old girl who was in the intensive care unit because a friend told her to put gasoline on her hair to kill lice. She’d taken gasoline from her family’s heating unit and dumped it on her head, igniting her hair. Her father, hearing his daughter’s screams, attempted to put out the flames with a towel. He was in the same hospital with severe burns to his hands.

Gasoline, like kerosene, is extremely flammable. Not only that, but both are associated with major toxicity. Kerosene and gasoline are both members of the hydrocarbon family of chemicals. According to US poison control centers, ingestion of these chemicals is responsible for one to two percent of all non-medication toxic exposures in children under the age of six. Ingestion or breathing in hydrocarbons can be fatal. It may cause respiratory failure. In fact, hydrocarbons were implicated in almost five percent of all single-substance fatalities in the pediatric population younger than six.

Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro owner Shannon Steele also added, “The stigma associated with an infestation may lead people to desperate measures…Despite our best efforts, misinformation continues to abound. Recently, when looking at educational materials available to teachers, we found an article on an official site suggesting the use of mayonnaise. We know this doesn’t work – mayonnaise doesn’t kill nits.”

About Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro

 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.

Don’t Let Lice Ruin Your Thanksgiving

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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 in Time for Halloween: Head Lice One of Parents’ Scariest Nightmares

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Head lice scare people.

Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro owner Brandi wants to make head lice less scary for parents.

“Head lice are the third most feared experience for parents,” Brandi said.  “Head lice rank third among parents’ ‘worst nightmares.’ For example, more parents fear head lice than chicken pox, pink eye, strep throat, and the flu.”

Only a broken bone and a broken heart scare parents more than head lice.

These are the results of a first-of-its-kind OnePoll survey of 2,000 U.S. parents conducted in conjunction with Lice Clinics of America:

Top 10 Parenting Nightmares

  1. Kid coming home with broken/sprained limb: 41%
  2. Kid coming home with a broken heart: 40%
  3. Kid coming home with lice: 36%
  4. Kid coming home with chickenpox: 33%
  5. Kid coming home with a broken/sprained finger: 31%
  6. Kid coming home with strep throat: 29%
  7. Kid coming home with an allergic reaction: 29%
  8. Kid coming home with the flu/cold: 27%
  9. Kid coming home with pink eye: 26%
  10. Kid coming home with broken glasses: 16%

“One reason parents fear head lice is because it’s becoming harder to get rid of them,” Brandi said. “That’s because the most popular lice products on the market are rapidly losing their effectiveness to kill lice and eggs (nits). The most recent study (2016) published in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that 98 percent of head lice in most U.S. states are now resistant to the pesticides used in traditional over-the-counter lice products.”

“If that’s not scary enough, the pesticides used in lice products have also been linked to behavior and developmental problems in children,” Brandi said.

Yikes!

“The good news is solutions are available that make head lice about as scary as getting a haircut,” Brandi said.

Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro offers treatment using the FDA-cleared AirAllé® medical device. AirAllé is clinically proven to kill live lice and more than 99 percent of eggs (nits) using heated air to dehydrate the lice and eggs. Most treatments take about an hour and are guaranteed to be effective.

“The AirAllé medical device was developed by researchers at the University of Utah and was proven over a decade of trials and tests,” Brandi said.  “And the AirAllé is equally effective over pesticide-resistant lice because it uses dehydration and is completely pesticide-free. It has been used to treat more than 400,000 cases of head lice worldwide with a success rate better than 99 percent.”

With Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro, lice don’t have to be scary at all.

“Lice don’t cause or carry any diseases, so they are not a health concern,” Brandi said. “And our proven one-hour cure makes head lice a fear of the past. That means that there is one less thing for parents to worry about—they can go back to worrying about broken hearts and bones.”

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, visit LiceClinicsJonesboro.com, email LCAJonesboro@gmail.com, or call (870) 497-2980.

Get to Know Head Lice Symptoms from Lice Clinics of America Jonesboro

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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.

Back-to-School Head Lice Prevention Checklist from Lice Clinics of America – Jonesboro

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Back-to-school time is a busy time for parents and students. The weeks prior to school are filled with shopping for clothes, backpacks and school supplies as well as last minute trips to squeeze every bit out of the summer. Parents often worry about how their children will like their teacher and whether they’ll get along with the other students or be bullied.

Brandi is a member of Lice Clinics of America®, the world’s largest network of professional lice treatment centers. She says, “We see a surge in cases of head lice when kids return to school” and recommends some proven practices that can prevent and treat cases of head lice. The clinics offer everything families need to stay lice-free during back-to-school season and all year round with products and services for every situation and every budget.

Screen Early and Often

The best way to prevent head lice is for all children to be screened regularly. Lice can be difficult to identify by the untrained eye.  Brandi says, “We recommend professional head lice checks, especially at peak lice times in the fall, back-to-school and returning home from summer camp.”

An Ounce of Prevention

Lice Clinics of America’s clinic in Jonesboro offers products for home use that prevent head lice, including preventive shampoo, conditioner, sprays and hairbands that can be used daily or whenever children wash their hair. These products serve as an effective lice repellant. All are non-toxic, using essential oils that smell good to humans but not to head lice. “’Back to School’ is a great time to stock up on prevention products to help your kids stay lice free all year long,” says Brandi.

Have Hair Pulled Back

Another way to help kids prevent the spread of lice is keeping hair pulled back in a tight braid or bun. “Since lice need hair to hold on to so they can crawl from one head to another, it’s harder for them to grip hair pulled back into a braid or bun” says Brandi.

Sharing Items Like Brushes

While lice are much more likely to be spread by head-to-head contact than brushes, it’s good practice to let your children know that while we teach them to share most things, brushes shouldn’t be one of them.

Selfies 

What teen doesn’t love a good selfie with their friends to celebrate back to school? While amazing and fun, selfies can lead to head-to-head contact and a perfect environment for the exchange of lice. Let your teen know it’s okay to take selfies but it’s best to keep a little distance.

If you do get lice

Best-laid plans of prevention can be laid to waste by a bug who is literally designed to spread from human to human and back-to-school time is peak season for head lice. If your child does have head lice, Lice Clinics of America offers the safest, fastest, and most effective treatment technology available, the AirAllé® medical device. AirAllé is FDA-cleared and clinically shown to kill live lice and more than 99 percent of eggs (nits) in a single treatment using carefully applied heated air to dehydrate lice and eggs. This “one and done” treatment takes about an hour, doesn’t require any follow-ups and is guaranteed to be effective.

It’s common for families to struggle with head lice for weeks or months using traditional over the counter lice treatments or traditional combing. Lice Clinics of America guarantees that people leave their clinics lice-free and can provide tools to help them remain lice-free throughout the year.

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, Jonesboro, AR 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.