Don’t have head lice take away your children’s summer of fun!

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Now that school is over you may think you have avoided head lice. Unfortunately, summer is one of the peak seasons for head lice. Lice are most commonly spread on children ages 4-11 and even tough they may not be going to school they still have contact with other children their age: on vacation, at summer camps or even with the family. A couple tips will help you prevent or spot an infestation, after all an infestation caught early is always easier to deal with!

– Keep your child’s hair on a pony tale or braided. This will avoid further contact with other children’s hair and there fore lice will unlikely crawl to their heads.

 

– Remind them to not use other children’s jackets, helmets, hats, etc.

– Screen them every week and look for nits (eggs). They may be confused by dandruff but they stick to the hair while dandruff will move or fly off. They will be, most likely, 1 inch or less from the scalp.

 

– Look for head lice symptoms: scratching of the head, sensation of crawling, problems sleeping (lice are more active at night), etc.

 

Most importantly, if you suspect you child have lice, bring them in so we can professionally screen their heads. Should they need a treatment, we will provide a safe, and highly effective 1 hour treatment using our device that dehydrates lice & nits through heated air. Find out more about our services & pricing.

5 reasons not to use over the counter products for Head Lice Removal

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When it comes to head lice removal, it’s tempting to just go to the store and buy a do it yourself kit… but is that really a smart choice? Here are 5 reasons that you should know before making that choice:

1. Chemicals: most of the over the counter (OTC) products have harsh chemicals that can cause severe irritation on your eyes and skin.

2. Follow ups: because the OTC products are only effective with the adult bugs, they typically suggest at least two repetitions in order to kill the possible eggs that you may have left and that will hatch again.

3. Effectiveness: Head lice have become resilient to some of the products in the market.

4.Countless comb-out hours: as mentioned before, OTC don’t kill the eggs so you will have to spend hours combing the hair strand by strand and making sure you don’t miss any eggs (nits) as they will inevitably hatch and re infest you all over again.

5. Pricing: altough at first it may seem attractive (cheaper) to buy OTC products, if you think about the re-applications you’ll need and the time you’ll spend combing out and delousing the house after every treatment, the price ends up being much more than you first expected.

At LCA San Diego we offer affordable, effective and professional Head Lice Removal treatments. We use the medical device, , that dehydrates nits & lice in one hour! Find out more about our services here.

Life Cycle of Lice – when did my head lice infestation start?

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Many of our customers wonder when the infestation started or want to know whether they caught in on time or not. Although it’s very hard to be 100% precise with the answers, the life cycle of adult lice helps us get an estimate as to when and how an infestation will develop.

All infestations start when a female louse crawls to the hair and lays a nit (egg). About a week (8-10days) after that egg is laid, it will hatch and a new louse – nymph – will emerge. Nymphs cannot reproduce and take three molts to reach the adult stage.The size of a nymphs compares to George Washington’s eye on a $1 bill. Once a nymph has reached the third molt it becomes an adult and can reproduce. It takes about 7-10 days for a nymph to reach the adult stage.

There are other facts that will help you understand head lice infestations. Female lice can lay up to 10 eggs per day! A female louse only needs to mate once and can continue to lay viable nits for the duration of her life.

If you suspect you have lice, it is important to take care of it professionally. Over the counter products don’t work for the nits that have to be removed manually one by one, missing one will result on them hatching and re-infesting the head all over again.At LCA San Diego we offer highly professional head lice removal treatments. We use the medical FDA-cleared꙳ device that dehydrates nits and lice in just one hour. Remove lice quickly and safely.

Safe Head Lice Removal Treatments

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When we think about home remedies,we instantly believe they are safe and easy to do. Just like our grandmothers would have done it,we think. But with head-lice is not as easy and is definitely not as safe as we would think. 
 
Home remedies can lead to harmful side effects and severe complications
Contrary to popular belief not all home remedies are safe. I have heard of people treating lice with kerosene and sun exposure. Not only would it affect and irritate your scalp but chronic cases of allergies and skin irritation have been encountered after those types of treatments. 
 
A recent accident in Boston has proven that home remedies can be even fatal for children. Long hours of comb-out make children impatient and can sometimes make parents reckless. If you chose to perform a home remedy make sure yourself and your child are safe and keep an eye on their reactions at all times. (news – Springfield toddler dies during lice treatment)
 
Over the counter products typically use chemicals to kill head lice. Since most of them do not take care of the nits (eggs), follow up treatments are needed after a week. Repetitive treatments with chemicals may lead to dry scalp and skin irritation.
 
Natural Home Remedies
Natural home remedies such as mayonnaise or rosemary oil have not been proven to take care of lice. Even if they kill all the adult ones, you’d still need to spend long hours combing the hair in order to take out all the eggs. 
 
Professional Head Lice Removal Treatments
Whenever is possible, having a professional screen your head and perform head lice removal treatment to ensure the best results. At LCA San Diego we use the revolutionary medical device that kills lice & nits with heated air. safe and effective, one treatment and done! find out more.

10 facts about head lice you probably didn’t know

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1. An adult Lice can be gray or brown and no larger than a sesame seed.
2. Lice don’t  fly or jump, they crawl really fast!
3. Even though lice feed from your blood, they don’t transmit diseases when they go from human to human.
4. Lice can live 30 days in a human head.
5. Lice can survive off a human body for up to 48 hours!
6. Nits (eggs) look like dandruff but due to the protein they contain they will stick to the hair and won’t fall off easily.
7. Lice prefer clean rather than dirty heads.
8. Siblings and parents will most likely be infested if a child has lice.
9. The itchiness on the scalp is due to people’s reaction of lice’s saliva after their bite
10. Although pets & cats also get lice they’re different from the human ones.

Why do Head Lice seem such a big problem?

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Myths and misinformation around the subject along with a difficulty to diagnose the problem are the common causes as to why head lice seem such a problem. After all, 12 million days of school are wasted due to head lice in the United States.

What are the common problems that people have with head lice?

  1. Diagnosis – dandruff, restudies from other hair treatments and hair debris are mistakenly diagnosed as nits (eggs) as well as other small insects are misdiagnosed as lice. Having a professional do a head screening is highly recommended.
  1. Over the counter head lice products – many of those products have chemicals that lice have become resilient to. In addition, those treatments typically don’t offer a solution for nits resulting in a need to comb-out the hair to eliminate all of them. If one is left behind, it will hatch again and another round of chemicals will be needed to kill hatched lice. In addition, not all the over the counter products are as safe as we wish they were, some have toxic chemicals that can cause harmful side effects.
  1. Nits (eggs) – combing off nits is not as easy as it may seem. Hand picking the nits requires time & dedication. The best way to do it is separating the hair strand by strand while using a magnifying glass to spot them and comb them out. Even highly trained technicians can miss one, which would lead to a re-infestation. Heat has been proven to kill nits more effectively and in much less time (link to AA treatment).

What can I do to kill lice?

Having a professional screen your head for a good diagnose is the first step. According to the National Academy of Pediatrics, a good head lice removal treatment should be: SAFE, FAST & EASY to do. LCA San Diego offers a highly effective way to remove lice. A safe, FDA cleared꙳ medical device that kills lice & nits in a Fast – 1 hour -, easy and effective way. Make an appointment now!

Most common head lice symptoms

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  1. Tickling sensation on the scalp – if you find yourself or your child scratching your head more than usual you might have lice. Lice feed off your blood by biting on your scalp. People are typically allergic to their saliva and that’s what cause us to feel itchy.
  1. Sores & red bumps – after scratching for while you might see some red bumps or sores on your scalp, especially above your ears and around your neck line.
  1. Trouble sleeping & irritability – lice are more active at night. People with lice infestation have reported trouble sleeping due to the itchiness or the feeling of crawling during the night.

Although this symptoms are common for most of the people, some other may not feel any itchiness or have sores and red bumps. Being alert and knowledgeable as to how do lice and their nits look like is highly recommended to avoid severe infestations. If you suspect you have lice, have a professional screen and diagnose your head.

Why do over the counter products for head lice NOT work?

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There are many over the counter products available in the market that claim they treat lice infestations. Unfortunately they not always work. We see many customers that have tried those products before seeing us, and after being tired of repeating such in home treatments they finally visit us to remove the lice once and for all.
The shampoos that are sold for head lice removal usually contain medication such as phyretrin or phermethrin, which may kill the lice but won’t take care of the eggs. Lice have a cycle and eggs that are not removed will hatch again and lay eggs all over. That’s the reason why in many cases the treatment needs to be repeated every week for several weeks. Applying so many chemicals to the head may have risk such as chronic eye irritation and chronic scalp irritation among others. In addition, lice have become resilient to over the counter products.
Many people choose to use those products for  a strictly economical reason but if you think about having to buy the products for follow ups the total cost is not as appealing as it may be.
We offer an affordable and natural way of treating head lice and nits infestations. The FDA -cleared꙳ medical device kills nits and lice through heated air. The device has been used in over 100.000 treatments with less than 1% return. At LCA San Diego, we can treat severe lice infestations in just one hour! Contact us to find out more or schedule an appointment.

How do I search for lice & nits (eggs)?

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You just got the circular and… great news, there’s a head lice outbreak at your child’s school. and you wonder how to make sure your kid is free of lice. Here’s a few tips on how to spot lice and nits (eggs):
1. Before screening your child’s head, make sure your own hair is on a pony tale or braid to avoid cross infestation if they have it.
2. In general, try to search for nits and not lice. Head lice crawl really fast and it might be difficult to spot them.
3. Head Lice and nits will most likely be on the base of the neck and along the hairline, as well as on top of the ears. Check those areas first as the likelihood of finding a louse or a nit is high if your child is infested,
4. Separate the hair thoroughly and look for small white-brown flakes attached to the hair. If you touch them and they move or fall they are most likely dandruff. If they’re stuck to the hair it’s most likely an egg.
5. You might need a magnifying glass and a fine toothed comb to help you with the search.
If you suspect an infestation or are unsure, contact us for a head screening. we will screen the head, diagnose the level of infestation and treat according to your needs.

Can I prevent Lice?

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Once you’ve had an infestation at home or when you hear your friends talking about lice, you wonder… how can I prevent lice?

You might have heard that peppermint or rosemary oil are a natural repellent and even though it is, lice have become resilient to it and it would not protect you completely from getting it. There are, however, many things you can do to reduce the risk of getting head lice.

For your children: 

* braid your child’s hair or put it up in a pony tale.

* keep their jackets and other clothing in a bag while at school.

* teach your children not to share hats, comb or brushes, hair accessories or helmets.

* tell them to avoid head to head contact when taking pictures or selfies or when studying

* screen them every other day until they reach 8th grade. Finding nits on time will reduce the level of infestation.

For yourself:

* wear your hair up and avoid sharing anything touching another person hair (hair brushes, helmets, hats, etc.)

* items that might be infested can be placed in a cloth dryer on high heat.

* when traveling by bus, airplane or at the movie theater, protect your head.

 

Screening often is your best option to prevent lice. In addition, LCA San Diego provides an innovative product to repel head lice from crawling to your head.

(info about protect )

And if you get infested…. contact us! Same day appointments with policy* for 30 days in just one hour.