TOPICS COVERED
TOPICS DETAIL
90%+ of our customers have tried at least one version of at-home treatment before hiring us. Why do our customers ultimately choose us?
- $30……Replacement hair brushes, combs, hair accessories
- $50……Doctor visits for diagnosis and guidance
- $95……Extra cleaning supplies & laundry detergent
- $100……Increased utilities due to extra laundry
- $125……Other lice products, gadgets, prevention products
- $180……OTC Kits (Rid, Nix, etc.). 3 Treatments x 2 Kids
- $400……Missed work (avg. 3 days @ $50k salary)
- $0 – $300……Prescription costs – per person
- Total: $1,030
HEAD CHECK
Before we do any treatment, we always perform a head check using a specially designed lice comb. You will see everything that we find, and then we will discuss the most appropriate treatment option (we have different options depending on your situation).
#1: SUPER LICE is a very real phenomenon
The over-the-counter chemical products will still kill a lot of lice, but typically NOT ALL of the lice. The few lice left behind are the super lice, AND you will have a very hard time locating just a few lice (they are very good at avoiding detection).
#2: There is no topical product on the market that will KILL lice eggs on the head
There are many products that claim to do so, but those claims are exaggerated, at best. If there are eggs on the head, you MUST REMOVE all of them to ensure a complete eradication.
#3: Lice die off the head after 24 hours (must feed to survive)
Also, the do NOT fly, jump, crawl, or burrow. This is GOOD NEWS because it makes cleaning your house much easier than commonly believed. At any given moment, the lice in your house are isolated ONLY to things that have touched heads in the last 24 hours.
#4: Itching is NOT a reliable indicator of whether you have lice
Everybody’s’ head itches, it’s just that we don’t normally pay attention to it. But mention the word “lice” to a bald man, and he starts itching. Also, only about 1/2 the people with lice ever itch.
#5: Lice can only live on a human host
Lice are highly adapted to ONLY live on humans, not pets.
This is the ONLY process we use in the clinic, and you can do this at home too!
- Make sure hair is clean, dry, and straight as possible. For long hair, you may want separate into sections.
- Place the comb at the nape of the neck with the tips of the teeth touching the scalp.
- Move the comb to the HORIZONTAL position and run the comb up, and along the scalp – 1 TIME ONLY.
- Keeping the comb HORIZONTAL, bring the comb over a clean, white surface (like a paper plate), and then tip the comb down.
Repeat moving around the head.
If at any point you discover a lice bug or a lice egg, you can STOP. The presence of eggs is just as definitive as a bug because something (a bug) had to lay the egg. Eggs will appear as tiny dark specks (image at left), but they will all be uniform in size and shape (ignore color). Dandruff flakes will all be different. Dislodge anything caught in the teeth by tapping the comb on the white surface and raking the teeth with your thumbnail.
IT’S WAY EASIER THAN YOU THINK!
First, some IMPORTANT facts
- Lice can only transfer by direct hair-to-hair contact, or a direct hair-to-hair “bridge”, like head-to-pillow-to-head.
- Lice DO NOT fly, jump, burrow, or crawl from somewhere else to your head.
- Immature bugs (nymphs) and eggs/nits DO NOT transfer.
- Lice die off the head after 24 hours (must feed to survive).
- That means that at any given moment, lice in your house are isolated ONLY to things that have touched an infested person’s head in the last 24 hours. So, lice CANNOT crawl up your leg from your carpet, jump on you from your curtains, lay in wait on clothes hanging in the closet for the last week, etc.
Cleaning
- Clothing/Bedding: Put directly in to the dryer and dry on high heat for ½ hour. Then wash and dry as normal.
- Any other items that cannot be dried can be isolated for 24 hours, and then the lice will die. Isolate by putting in trash bags, or put in the garage, back deck….etc. Anything to get them away from the head for 24 hours.
- For furniture, car seats, etc., throw a sheet over them for 24 hours.
- Brushes/Combs: Bring a pan of water to a boil, REMOVE from the heat and then place brushes/combs into the hot water for 2 minutes
IMPORTANT facts about head lice transmission
- The only way to contract lice is by direct hair-to-hair contact, or a direct hair-to-hair “bridge.” Examples of a bridges are: Hair-to-comb-to-hair. Head-to-hat-to-head.
- Lice DO NOT fly, jump, or crawl from somewhere else to your head.
- Only mature bugs transfer. Immature bugs (nymphs) and eggs/nits DO NOT transfer.
- Lice die off the head after 24 hours (must feed to survive).
HOW TO PREVENT LICE
#1: STOP TOUCHING OTHER PEOPLES’ HEADS!!
Become very aware of any situation where you might touch the heads of other people, or you touch things that might have touched other peoples’ heads, and then avoid those situations.
DO NOT, under any circumstances, put anything on your head that has touched someone else’s head.
#2: WEAR HAIR AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE.
Tight hair means less chance of your hair coming in contact with someone else’s’ hair, AND tight hair means less surface area for a louse to latch onto your head. If your hair comes in close or frequent contact with someone with lice, the preventative products alone may not stop you from getting lice.