What are you THANKFUL for?

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What are you THANKFUL for? This is the question that lice Clinics of America wanted to post for this thanksgiving month. Watch the video to see what are we thankful for!

 

#Our technicians are thankful for all the families that come in and make their day easy and brighter.

#We are thankful for our healthy and beautiful families.

#LCA San Diego is thankful for all our clients that trust us every day to kill their lice infestations. A special thank you for those who unfortunately have had re-ocurrences throughout the years and have come to our clinics every time!

#Our kids are thankful for our fast treatments and for taking care of their itchy heads

#We are thankful for all the beautiful drawings we receive daily from the children that visit our clinics.

Being thankful is part of our daily lives. Sometime we get wrapped up on our daily chores and forget to be thankful for the simplest things that life has to offer. At LCA San Diego we wanted to use Thanksgiving as an excuse to remind you about being thankful and about thinking about the long list of things you are thankful for.

As an idea to spend time and do something fun with your kids, take some paper and have them write down 5 things they are thankful for, you will be surprised at their ideas! Then post those thankful lists on your fridge to remember every day 🙂 In addition, you can always make crafts around those ideas and give them to other people as a “thank you” for being awesome.

Lice Life Cycle

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Lice Life Cycle

Being aware of the life cycle of head lice is a essential step in knowing how to correctly treat head lice infestations and what your expectations should be on the different type of lice removal treatments you use.

Lice Eggs or Nits

It all starts off as eggs ( also referred to as lice nits). Those eggs are securely glued to the hair shaft approximately a quarter inch from your scalp. Due to a very protective shell that they have, eggs are very resistant to many lice treatments and products that use suffocation, essential oils and pesticides as a way of killing the head lice. This very reason is why lice shampoos and other similar products usually require an additional treatment a week or more later to treat any new lice that has hatched. This is also the reason why it is very difficult to remove them from the hair and why you will need multiple comb-outs to ensure eradication.

The lice eggs are secured good enough to the hair that they can withstand a lot. This includes fingers, brushes, hair washing, everyday activities and more. However if used properly, a lice comb can be a highly effective way of removing lice eggs.

One of the extreme benefits of using a dehydration product like to treat head lice is the high 99.2 percent effectiveness at killing lice eggs.

Nymphs

Between eight or nine days into the lice life cycle, a nymph will develop from the egg. The Nymphs are extremely small and remain very close to the scalp where they feed. Nymphs spend 9-12 days developing into adult lice, at which stage they can reproduce. Nymphs typically don’t spread from head to head.

Lice on a Dime

Louse

An adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, they travel further along the hair than nymphs, which definitely means they have a higher risk of falling off the hair, or climbing onto another head host through head to head contact.

Adults live up to 30 days on their host, and the females lay eggs approximately 3-5 times a day or about 88 eggs in their lifetime. The infestation begins when a female louse gets transferred to a host’s head and stars laying eggs.

Lice Clinics Of America

Lice Clinis of America is committed to providing quick, non-toxic lice removal treatment to clients in San Diego, California. Our patented treatment is clinically tested and proven to kill all stages of head lice including their eggs by utilizing controlled headed air. This method is safe, fast and highly effective against all head lice infestations, including the most stubborn lice. Find out more about our services.

Ready for Halloween?

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Ready for Halloween? We are officially in the month of Halloween! This October will be themed with scary faces, ideas to dress up and candy. We wanted to have a head start and give you some creative ideas to dress your children up as well as making sure they are not on a sugar high.

 

Creative Ideas to Dress Up

If your child is looking for ideas, the most resourceful page you will find will be Pinterest. It will also help you find alternatives to buying expensive dress up costumes that will only be good for one week. Children will definitely have ideas from their favorite movies like The Incredibles, Spiderman, Captain America or Coco. In this instance we wanted to share with you an easy way to prepare for face paint if your child wants to be Coco this year.

1.Start by delineating the eyes and nose with black face pencil. Then apply a coat of white face paint.

2. Apply red and black paint onto the eyes and make a daisy shape on the outsides

3. Finish up by being creative with the swirls!

How to avoid the sugar high?

We all know the favorite part of Halloween for our kids is going trick or treating. We also know those days can end in our children being stomach sick or running around like crazy due to the amount of candy they eat. What can we do to avoid the sugar high?

1. Limit the intake to 3/4 candies a day. if your child is young, take their candy and ration every day a little bit. make it a fun game to see how long it lasts!

2. Talk to your child. We know it’s probably hard to convince them but explain why it’s best to keep sugar to a limit and how much more enjoyable it will be if they take a bit every day and not get sick.

3. Find sugar free or low sugar candy to distribute to the neighborhood. Most of those candies taste the same and all moms will be grateful for it!

Our hope is that you have a stress free Halloween with easy and budget oriented ideas for your kids to have fun. Have a spooky and safe Halloween!

Lice Prevention with creative hair does

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Lice Prevention with creative hair does

One of the best ways to avoid a lice infestation and all of the inconveniences it comes with, is keeping your child’s hair up. Below we will go over some quick easy ways to keep your children’s hair up and out of the high risk zone for catching head lice. Did you know that your target for catching head lice is as long as your hair is when down? Although lice cannot fly, swim or jump-they can be flung, or transferred with a simple hug, selfie, sleepover or study partner. Keeping your hair up and out of your face, combined with a preventative shampoo, conditioner and spray makes all of the difference.

An asymmetric bun

This is a beautiful way to keep your daughters hair out of her face while being very trendy.
Just part the hair to one side and gather it into a ponytail on one side of the head. Twist it, and gather it into a bun. Next you will fasten with one or two hair ties, then get prepared to have a lot of admire

A Triple Plait

For many of you who don’t know how to make a perfect French braid, there’s one amazingly sneaky way to do it available to you. For starters make a braid out of hairs on the upper part of the head and fasten it with a hair tie at  the tip of the hair. Then gather up some of the hair in the middle of the back of the head, put the first plait in the middle of it and weave it together with the loose lock of hair to form another plait. Fasten this together with a hair tie once again. Repeat this process. The unfasten all the ends of the individual three braids and tie them together into one larger.

A Bow Shaped Bun

This is a really adorable hairstyle for a  beautiful little princess. Gather up the hair into a ponytail near the tip top of the head and then wrap a hair tie around the it just one time. Next just twist the hair tie around the ponytail again. Be sure to keep the hair tight. Now wrap one more time, but do not pull the hair all the way through the hair tie — instead leave a loop. Your child should now have a super tight bun on top of their head with the extra hair sticking out the front. Now separate the bun in half and grab three bobby pins. Spread the bun completely in half and smooth everything out with your hands so it looks even. Now pull the excess hair up and through the middle of the bun. It goes right through the bun separating the hair and creating the “bow”. Now use one of your bobby pins to secure the hair in the back of the head.


Keeping The Hair Up Helps But Just In Case

Although keeping your child’s hair up and using preventative spray is key in avoiding a lice infestation, there is always a chance of getting infested. LCA San Diego provides professional, affordable head lice assessments and removal to fit your families needs. Our treatment is efficient, one and done, simple and completed in as little as 1 hour.

Back to School

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Back To School

Back to school is here and our children are filled with tons of excitement and their first-day nervousness. As parents we are sometimes overwhelmed with the stress and feeling of unpreparedness. To help and eliminate these thoughts, by helping you and your child prepare for the new school year, all it takes is a little organization!

Below we will go over some of the most important things you can do to make everything smooth sailing.
7 Ways To Be Prepared!

1. Getting back into your child’s sleep routine to help eliminate those very stressful/ chaotic school mornings, set up an everyday routine ( bedtime and morning time) to help get your child  be prepared for school. Just Start your usual school sleeping schedule and routine about a week or two before school starts.

2. Take your children to Shop for school supplies together. It will get your child super excited about starting a new grade by having them participate. Allow your child to pick out their own lunchbox, backpack etc. This is a great way to give them a little bit of responsibility too!

3. Have your child practice getting back into the routine of their daily school rhythm. You can do this by simply having them wake up every day at the same time and eat breakfast around the same time they would at school. Next, about a week before school starts, you can plan a couple outside activities where your child will need to leave and come back home around the same time they would if they were back in school. This will help them be rested and so much more ready for the very big day!

4. Set up a perfect little homework station by sitting down with your child and coming up with a designated time and homework requirements and supply the things they may need. This quiet homework station usually works best in places like the den, and make sure you find a homework time you are available in case your child needs help.

5. Preparing for the unexpected can be a life saver. For those of you working parents, you know that it can be a difficult task to find a baby sitter when your child is sick. So Before school even starts it’s a fantastic idea to have a sitter lined up just in case!

6. Have an after school gam e plan in place by making arrangements for where your child will go after school. Depending on your children’s ages, you can easily figure out if they will go to a neighbor’s or friends house, an after school program, or be allowed to stay home by themselves. This will help eliminate any complications during the first few weeks.

7. Eliminate video games and turn off the TV because for a lot of children, summertime is endless video games and countless TV programs. 
Children are generally in shock when they begin school and realize that several hours of their day is now going to be spent learning and not playing! You can Ease your child into the wonderful world of learning by turning off the electronics and encouraging them to read or play without these.

 

Keeping The Kiddos Hydrated This Summer

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Keeping The Kiddos Hydrated This Summer

During the summer our children do a lot of playing, so much playing it is so easy for them to forget to stay hydrated along with eating well. During a large amount of physical activity, its extremely easy for their sugar levels to drop and for them to begin to feel dehydrated. Lets go over some amazing ways we can make hydration fun!

Fruits, water and Ice

Fruits are delicious and have a high water content and will always keep the kids hydrated. The fruits with the highest water content are strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, peaches, cranberries, raspberries and orange! You can serve them as treats or bites with chocolate sauce. You can also use colorful straws to make it more attractive and get the kids to drink more water! These straws make drinking water much more fun, are spill proof.

Fruit Juices & Vegetables
Fruit juices are amazing supplements that help, next to water, to keep the children hydrated. Our suggestion is trying to opt for fresh juice and stay away from the juices with a bunch of preservatives.
For the kiddoes that love veggies, the most hydrating vegetables are cucumbers, zucchini, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, green peas and even carrots are delicious snacks.

Popsicles & Dairy Products
You can make your very own homemade popsicles, just use your favorite juice and pour the mixture onto an ice tray and stick candy sticks in the slots.
Adding melons and grapes is always a family favorite! Dairy can be just as yummy and who doesn’t love a wonderful yummy way to refuel?! Yogurt, milk of buttermilk serve as incredible substitutes for water and will still hydrate the kids. You can add in strawberry chunks, blueberries, sweet granola or anything you can imagine to the yogurt.

LCA San Diego Summer Screenings
With the children at play in various activities this summer with friends and family, the stakes are very high for catching a lice infestation.
Our head screenings are quick, efficient and easy for your kids or whole family. Its always best to make sure you are lice free before it gets worse and becomes extremely contagious. Come in to one of our locations at any time and we will be happy to keep smiles on your families faces for a stress and lice free Summer!

What Lice Comb should I buy? The Terminator Lice Comb

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What Lice Comb should I buy?  The Terminator Lice Comb

What Lice Comb should I buy?  The Terminator Lice Comb. The Terminator Lice Comb is 100% stainless steel, and the spiral micro-grooved teeth are designed to get all the way underneath to remove even the tiniest of lice eggs from the hair.  The Terminator has anti slip bands on the handle, also equipped with a microscopically-rounded tooth end that prevents pricking, pulling or scratching on the scalp and hair. This incredible comb is built from durable corrosion and resistant stainless steel, the comb can also be sterilized and used on everyone in the whole family each and every day.

Why Use a Proper Lice Comb?

When faced with head lice it can be a huge stressor, and the first thing that comes to many people’s minds is getting it handled quickly. This urge to get rid of lice quickly is why people purchase chemical treatments and do not take the time to purchase the proper lice combs while in the process. Many people spend hundreds of dollars on chemical lice removal products but cut the corners on a good lice comb. A good quality lice comb such as the Terminator can truly make or break your lice diagnosis or lice removal success.

How To Properly Use A Nit Comb

Making sure the hair is washed and clean is a starter, then once the hair is partially dry you can begin. Combing should always be in a top downwards. You should try to comb as close to the scalp as possible because the nits are located close to the scalp (generally within half an inch). It is always best to separate the hair, section by section, lock by lock, to assure you are getting as many live bugs and nits as possible. Once you have removed a lice egg or bug, you should immerse the comb in hot or warm water and clean it as you go. Continue this process until all eggs and bugs are completely gone and undetected, it is best to do this in direct sunlight to assure you remove all.

LCA San Diego Makes It EASY!
Although it is always essential to purchase a reliable good lice removal comb to keep year round to check your families hair and avoid lice infestations, LCA San Diego can make it so easy. For an affordable price and a quick 15 minutes or less we can tell you if you have an infestation! Call one of our local offices to book your appointment any and every time. We educate and can give quick results without having to do it yourself. We make lice removal so simple it takes only 1 hour and no follow up appointment necessary.

Summer Lice is Not Nice

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Summer Lice is Not Nice

Summer Lice is Not Nice. Lice unfortunately does not take the summer off, in fact there is a huge increase in infestations after children have spent long periods of time in the community. Summer camp is a huge contributor to the summer lice blues! Many of the summer camps provide head screenings to check for lice upon the children’s arrival however it’s always best to have the professionals take a look for accuracy. Moms feel free to spread the word to the head nurse at your child’s summer camp that we are offering free head screenings to them this summer 🙂

Lice Does Not Discriminate
Did you know that head lice are equal-opportunity parasites? This means that just because you have an infestation, doesn’t mean that you or your home is dirty. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and estimated 6-12 million infestations occur each year to children between the ages of 3-11 years old.

Knowledge is Power
Our technicians are diligently trained with knowledge just to assure we can correctly educate families when they come to see us. Whether it’s just a head screening to check for lice or a full treatment, we take our time to answer any questions you have and educate you with very useful information.

LCA San Diego Is Hassle Free
LCA San Diego is committed to providing quick, non-toxic lice removal treatment and is clinically tested and proven to kill all stages of head lice including their eggs by utilizing controlled heated air. This method is safe, fast and highly effective against all head lice infestations, including the most stubborn of lice.
We also have a 30 day policy so feel free to come in for a head screening this summer to assure that you will not have an itchy one!

The History of Head Lice

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The History of Head Lice

The History of Head Lice – Did you know that as long as humans have been on this Earth, head lice have been right there living with us? –well actually more like on us.  They are sometimes referred to as “heirloom parasites” by Scientists, because not only have they been with us for millions of years, but they’re ours and ours only. No other type of animal suffers from the very dreaded nits! How lucky are they?  It has been estimated that around 100,000 years ago, head lice and body lice split into two groups, and even long before this took place, lice has been a constant nuisance for people.

                            The Earliest Records of Treatment

The earliest records in the United States of head lice treatment is from the early 1800’s.

There was a bone lice comb that was uncovered in the early 1930’s from Fort Crawford that can be found at the Wisconsin Historical Museum.  For a very long time now, it has been known that Fort Crawford was not a very healthy environment and served as an enclosed haven for various diseases and parasites.

There have also been head lice comb discoveries found in Cumbria,  England that is dated to the first century AD/CE, and many sites in Israel, Italy, Europe and Asia that all date back to the same time period.

 

                                            The Evolution of Treatment

Nowadays the term “Super Lice” is used to describe chemical resistant lice that once upon a time were not so chemical resistant.  At LCA San Diego, we often times see clients with live bugs the very next day after an in home chemical based treatment is used.  As history shows, the accuracy of elimination lies in extracting every single egg.  Because everyone is only human, it’s easy to miss a few eggs when combing and an infestation will start all over again.  Our Treatment is the ultimate solution to ending the cycle of lice-FAST, no worries, no follow up appointments and in one hour. Find out more by calling us at 858.249.8337.