In the News
head lice make headlines
This section includes news articles that have been published about Lice Clinics of America locally and nationally.
Lice Clinics of America – Northwest Reports Lice Activity Increased During Pandemic
Portland and Salem Clinics Show Higher Numbers
August 4, 2020
Portland, OR – August 4, 2020 – Lice Clinics of America – Northwest, part of the Lice Clinics of America (LCA) 200 clinic network, saw increased lice activity of 111 percent in their Portland clinic, and 49 percent in the Salem clinic from April to May of this year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Infestations of lice affecting the entire family have been more severe during the pandemic, likely due to the fact that families have been isolating at home together.
“Early on in the pandemic, with most families coming in, almost all the family members had lice,” says Mark Meyer, co-owner of the Northwest clinics in Portland, Salem, Bend, and Clackamas, OR and Vancouver, WA. “Many families didn’t realize they had lice until school had been out for over a month. Recently, the pattern has changed, so now most families coming in have been treating with ineffective methods for a long time at home and have given up.”
In order to ensure the safety of staff and clients, each Northwest clinic pre-screens clients over the phone to ensure they are not sick before coming in. Each client must wear a face mask and only one client is treated at a time. Treatment areas are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between clients.
“Each of our five clinics are open again, after Vancouver, WA was closed for six weeks due to the State of Washington requirements,” says Meyer. “Almost everyone who comes in has lice. Prior to COVID only 40 percent of the people coming in had lice.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Head-to-head contact with an already infested person is the most common way to get head lice. Head-to-head contact is common during play at school, at home and elsewhere, such as sports activities, the playground, slumber parties, and camps.” The CDC estimates 6-12 million infestations occur each year in the U.S. among children 3-11 years of age.
Dr. Krista Lauer, Medical Director of LCA, states, “If you have children who are elementary and middle-school ages, it’s important to take some immediate steps to either prevent your children from being infested or to properly treat and kill the lice before they spread to others in your family and social group.”
Dr. Lauer says, “First, don’t panic, and second, don’t be embarrassed. A head lice infestation has nothing to do with personal hygiene, or the cleanliness of your environment. In fact, with recent shelter-in-place orders, head lice infestations more easily spread to everyone in the household due to close proximity.” She recommends the following to make sure lice aren’t living in your child’s hair:
- Inspect your own head and your child’s, especially if your child has an itchy scalp. Look for eggs, nymphs, and adult lice. One adult louse can lay about a hundred eggs during her life span. That’s a lot of new lice.
- Call the parents of your child’s friends and have them check for head lice, remembering that earlier intervention can help to reduce the infestation level. With shelter-in-place orders being lifted, kids are playing together again, and summer camps are in session.
- If you see lice—or if you are unsure whether you have lice—visit a professional lice treatment center such as LCA for a screening.
- Traditional over-the-counter treatments contain pesticides that are ineffective. Lice have evolved into “super lice” and have developed resistance to those pesticides. Find a treatment that is safe and effective. LCA has several options to choose from.
Lice Clinics of America is the world’s number-one service brand for treating head lice. The company’s revolutionary heated-air treatment is guaranteed to kill lice, lice eggs, and super lice in a single, one-hour treatment. Lice Clinics of America offers professional lice screenings and a full line of top-rated lice treatment and prevention products including professional solutions for parents with children at home.
For more information visit www.liceclinicsofamerica.com.
Lice Clinics of America Reports Lice Activity Increased 60 Percent in Portland This Winter Over Last
Though not life-threatening, lice are highly contagious and have built a resistance to over-the-counter remedies
PORTLAND, OR – Lice Clinics of America reported that their 330 clinics across the network saw an average increase of 30 percent in lice activity nationwide this winter. This data was gathered and compared from the organization’s bookings and treatments in January 2018 and January 2019 in its clinics in the U.S. and abroad. Geographic areas such as Portland saw an increase of 60 percent this January. The CDC estimates six million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the U.S. among children three to 11 years of age.
“Lice Clinics of America has a unique opportunity to gather its data to help identify trends. We believe we can attribute the increase in lice infestation bookings and treatments in our clinics to three things,” said Lice Clinics of America CEO Claire Roberts. “First, it’s a fact that many over-the-counter products are no longer effective in treating the “super lice” of today, so people are seeking professional help. Second, there is a true lack of understanding by the public on the life cycle of lice and how they spread. And third, people are becoming increasingly aware of the more effective, technologically-advanced treatment methods offered by Lice Clinics of America.”
Lice are highly contagious. According to the CDC, “Head-to-head contact with an already infected person is the most common way to get head lice. Head-to-head contact is common during play at school, at home and elsewhere, such as sports activities, the playground, slumber parties, and camps.”
Dr. Krista Lauer, medical director of Lice Clinics of America, reports, “If you have school-age children in a region where lice infestations have been reported, it’s important to take some immediate steps to either prevent your children from being infested or properly treat and kill the lice before they spread to others in your family and social group.”
Dr. Lauer says, “First, don’t panic, and second, don’t be embarrassed. Those pesky lice have nothing to do with personal hygiene.” She recommends the following to make sure lice aren’t living in your child’s hair:
- Inspect your child’s head at home, especially if your child has an itchy scalp. Look for eggs, nymphs and adult lice. One adult louse can lay about 100 eggs during her life span. That’s a lot of new lice.
- Call the parents of your child’s friends and have them check for head lice, remembering that earlier intervention can help to reduce the infestation level.
- If you see lice—or if you are unsure whether you have lice—visit a professional lice treatment center, such as Lice Clinics of America.
- Remember, traditional over-the-counter treatments contain pesticides that are no longer effective. Lice have evolved into “super lice” and have developed resistance to those pesticides. Find a treatment that is safe and effective. Lice Clinics of America has many from which to choose.
- Be safe this season by starting your child on a lice prevention regimen using trusted lice prevention products such as shampoos, conditioners, sprays and hair bands that will help to keep lice away from your child’s scalp.
With more than 330 clinics in 35 countries, Lice Clinics of America is the world’s number-one service brand for treating head lice. The company’s revolutionary heated-air treatment is guaranteed to kill lice, lice eggs and super lice in a single, one-hour treatment. Lice Clinics of America also offers professional lice screenings and a full line of top-rated lice prevention products.
For those who prefer to do treatments on their own, the same precision-controlled heated air technology is available in a hand-held device for consumer use. Lice Clinics of America’s OneCure™ Treatment Kit is available at Lice Clinics of America clinics and on Amazon.
For more information visit www.liceclinicsofamerica.com.
The cure for lice as seen on:
The cure for super lice was revealed on Sept 21, 2016 on the popular TV show “The Doctors”. Watch and see how Lice Clinics of America’s highly effective 3-step process, including the only FDA-cleared medical device, dehydrates lice and their eggs in a single treatment.
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