Teenagers & Head Lice

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So… you thought the period where you had to worry about lice in your child was over… afterall, they’re 13. But… lately we have been getting more and more teenagers with head lice. What’s going on?
It’s difficult to answer the questions with a single and easy idea. In reality, many factors are contributing to teenagers having head lice. A few years ago, a teenager would only get lice when a younger sibling or a child they looked after had it. But now, out of the sudden, your teenager has lice and you have no idea where it came from. Here’s a few factors that will help you understand better the situation:
1. Selfies. Recent studies have shown that selfies are now linked to the spread of head lice. Head to head contact is the number one way lice spread.
2. Super Lice.  Most lice have become resilient to the pesticides in over the counter treatment, thus making those treatments ineffective. Realizing that the treatment has not been as effective as one thought may take days, causing the infestation of other people along the process.
3. Unawareness. Because most teens don’t think about lice, they don’t link the symptoms to them and therefore it takes longer for them, or the parents, to realize they are infested.
What to do? First, have an open communication with your teen. Most likely she or he will be embarassed and will even hide it from everyone. Normalizing head lice and knowing how to treat them is the best precaution you can take.
 How do I treat a lice infestation? Since over the counter treatments may not work, your best bet is to seek professional help. At LCA San Diego we offer 1 hour treatments with a policy* for 30-days. Our FDA cleared꙳ medical device will kill both lice & nits through heated air in a safe and highly effective way. Find out more.

What causes head lice to spread?

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One of the most common questions at our clinic is: what causes head lice to spread?
The answer is complex but can be summarized as the consequence of the existing Ignorance about lice due to the stigma it has nowadays. Not knowing how lice spread, what they are and how they affect you or your child are the main cause of lice spreading. Here are some highlights that will help you understand lice better:
* Lice don’t jump, hop or fly, they crawl. Head-to-head contact is the easiest way to get lice and especially  for those who have long hair, it’s important to be aware of it.
* 2 of your child friends will have lice during this school year. Knowing that will probably make you feel on your toes most of the time,but prevention and precaution is the best way to prevent lice.
* Knowing how to treat head lice infestations will give you a quick response rate if that happens to your family. Check this chart regarding different treatment options.
The best way to keep lice from spreading is by sharing the truth and ending the ignorance. Help us spread the word and stop lice by sharing this video:

If you suspect you have lice, treat the infestation in San Diego by making an appointment at LCA San Diego.

LCA San Diego kills Super Lice

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Super Lice have become a trendy topic in the past weeks. A recent paper presented at the American Chemical’s Society in Boston noted that lice have become resilient to most over the counter agents and thus becoming harder to kill and, most times,  a nightmare for moms. Many media around San Diego have been talking about Super Lice and how to treat them. The Union Tribune San Diego highlights LCA San Diego as the solution for Super Lice.

At LCA San Diego we can handle Super Lice. We use our FDA cleared꙳ medical Device, ,that dehydrates lice & nits (eggs) in just one treatment. Our best seller treatment, uses the device to dehydrate all the lice and eggs. then our professionally trained technicians will comb-out any dead debris and finally apply a rinse. Our full treatment comes with a policy* for 30-days and takes just about an hour!

 

LCA San Diego mata a los SuperPiojos

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En un estudio reciente se descubrió que los piojos han mutado y se han convertido en lo que llamamos SuperPiojos, siendo resistentes a la mayoría de los pesticidas que se encuentran en los productos que podemos comprar en la farmacia.

Univision nos entrevistó para saber que se puede hacer con los SuperPiojos y les explicamos que solo el aire caliente consigue matarlos y que en LCA San Diego ofrecemos la solución.

LCA San Diego mata a los SuperPiojos

We can handle SuperLice

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Recent studies have alerted us that SuperLice have made their way to California. 

What are SuperLice?

SuperLice are a mutation of head lice that have become stronger and resilient to most pesticides used in over the counter treatments. Dr. Kyong Yoon, who has researched pesticide resistance in head lice since the 1990s released an update showing that head lice in 83 percent of the states he sampled—including California —now have gene mutations making them resistant to pesticides in the most popular lice shampoos.

 

How do I kill SuperLice? 

The device kills  SuperLice in just one treatment. This FDA-cleared꙳ medical device, dehydrates head lice & nits (eggs) through heated air. Our head lice removal treatment takes just an hour, is completely safe- we use all natural products, no pesticides or harsh chemicals- and comes with a policy* of 30-days. LCA San Diego helps you kill lice and SuperLice!

How to talk to your children about Head Lice

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As parents, when we find out that our children have lice our first reaction is not always the best. The facts is that lice are annoying, sometimes disgusting and can be completely overwhelming to deal with. But knowing the right way to talk about lice to our children will make our life easier when that time comes and will also make them not feel awful or guilty about it.

Here’s some quick tips to talk to your children about lice:

Explain lice symptoms to your children – so they can alert you before the infestation has gone too far. You can always have a lice comb in the shower and make it a routine for them to comb their hair every day or to have you do it, if there’s lice, you’ll be able to see it when they just got infested and it will be much easier to deal with it.

Educate them on lice prevention – advise them to wear their hair up or braided, not share jackets, helmets and hats and even have them wear protective lice repellant products on their hair.
Don’t Panic – know your options to treat lice so you can react as soon as possible and don’t panic so that you don’t create that same reaction on them.
At LCA San Diego, we treat lice professionally with our medial device that dehydrates lice & nits through heated air.

Does Heat Kill Lice?

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Yes, it does. But not any amount of heat. It has been proven that most of the lice body composition is water. The right amount of heat, the right amount of time will eliminate lice & nits (eggs).
Most over the counter treatments (OTC) focus on killing the adult lice by using aggressive ingredients. Because the eggs have not been killed with the application of the shampoo or gel, a re-do of the process is needed after a week when the eggs hatch. The HEAT kills the nits by dehydration and therefore only one treatment is needed.
Additionally, recent studies have proven that lice are becoming resilient to the OTC products and even some prescription lice removal medicine. Head lice are very unlikely to evolve a resistance to heat, which makes the heated treatments so appealing.
But not any amount of heat would work. A blow dryer has directional heat that would burn the scalp if used at the right temperature, the right amount of time. The is a medical, FDA cleared ꙳ and patented device that provides the right amount of heat, the right amount of time and removes lice & nits. 
At LCA San Diego we use the Airalle device to dehydrate all lice & nits. We kill lice in a fast, safe and highly effective way.

Some OTC head lice treatment ingredients linked to cancer.

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The World Health Organization has classified some ingredients in OTC lice treatments as carcinogenic to humans. According to an article by Jim Algar those ingredients have been banned in the U.S as well as Europe for agricultural use but can be found in shampoos for head lice removal. The insecticide lindane has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Researches that studied lindane in the U.S and Canada have stated that this ingredient has been proven linked to several types of cancer like liver cancer, testicular cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Another ingredient, the DTT, has also been found as carcinogenic. The journal Lancet Oncology has published this findings where the WHO’s cancer research agency issued a new classification for lindane as “carcinogenic to humans,” and has classified DDT as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

At LCA San Diego we use NON TOXIC products and FREE OF PESTICIDES.  We use the medical, FDA cleared꙳, device that dehydrates lice & nits through heated air. In just an hour, we offer a highly professional and SAFE treatment for head lice.

Let’s play…. guess what??? Head Lice!

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* H_ _ _     L _ _ _
(very annoying creature that makes you itch and lives in your head)

* N _ _ _
(white or brown, live on your hair and are tear-drop shaped)

* S _ _ _ _
(days that eggs need to hatch into adult lice)

* T _ _ _ _ _
(total amount of days lice can live in your hair)

* C _ _ _ _
(movement lice use to go through your hair and also expand to other hair)

* P _ _ _ _ _ _ _
(something you really will need to deal with lice)

Answers: Head Lice, Nits, Seven, Thirty, Crawl, Patience

Why do head lice create such stress?

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“I just found out that I have lice, and I’m freaking out!’ is probably the most common thing we hear at the other end of the line. And is not only common but completely understandable. Now, why do head lice trigger so much stress? Here’s a few facts that will make us understand why do we feel so stressed and hopefully make us feel a little better when it happens.

1. The unknown. Fear of the unknown is probably one of the biggest reasons why we feel stressed. we may not know what they really are, how to deal with them and therefore our minds and bodies react to it. Knowing what head lice & nits (egg) look like and how they spread, live and die will help us feel more in control.

2. Caring. Because we care for our children and loved ones, seeing them suffer makes us feel stressed. We wish that we could make it go away by just looking at them or snapping our fingers. Sometimes, our children they just want to hear that everything will be alright, if you look calm they will most likely empathize with you and be calm as well.

3. Social stigma. Both for adults and children is not nice to say, “I have lice.” Throughout the years, there has been a lot of misconception about lice and it’s been attributed to a lack of hygiene or even a lower income when the truth is, lice don’t discriminate. Making everyone aware of that will be a step towards normalizing head lice.

4. No quick fix. Altough taking care of lice doesn’t have to be a long and hazardous process, depending of the level of infestation if you want to take care of it it definitely might be. There are professional services that will make your life easier and help you treating your lice infestation in a faster and more effective manner.

At LCA San Diego we offer fast, safe and higly effective professional head lice removal treatments. Find out more here.