A friend’s daughter with head lice triggered painful memories for Laurie Moyer. “I remembered dealing with head lice with my daughters three times when they were in the second and third grades,” she said. “Once you have had lice in your household and you find out other parents are dealing with an outbreak, you want to help.”
Laurie’s friend couldn’t get rid of the lice as they were resistant to the over-the-counter products being used. “I remembered reading about the AirAllé medical device and Lice Clinics of America, so I told my friend about it,” she said. “From there the idea of opening a local clinic was born.”
“Given the choice between weeks or months of using potentially harmful chemicals, hours of combing and nitpicking, and a single, 60-minute, chemical-free treatment, I knew what I would choose and I knew that other parents would make the same choice if they could,” Laurie said.
A registered dietician, Laurie knows a thing or two about healthy choices. “The chemicals used in over-the-counter lice products are pesticides, plain and simple,” she said. “Parents don’t want to put pesticides in their children’s hair, but they often don’t feel that they have a choice.”
The AirAllé medical device, available exclusively at Lice Clinics of America treatment centers, uses carefully controlled heated air to dehydrate lice and eggs. The device is FDA-cleared is safe and effective against head lice and has been clinically proven to kill live lice and 99.2 percent of eggs (nits).
A 2016 study found that most of the lice in the United States are now resistant to pyrethroids, the class of insecticides used in over-the-counter lice treatment products. Pyrethroid resistance has been advancing for many years in the United States and in several other countries. Because the AirAllé medical device uses no chemicals, it is able to kill the pyrethroid-resistant lice and eggs.
“We work with the local schools and day care centers to educate people about lice and lice treatment options,” Laurie said. “A major obstacle to successful treatment is the stigma around head lice. People think they did something wrong so they hide it. I tell them that head lice do not differentiate, not by status, wealth, education, or cleanliness. If you have a head of hair, you are susceptible to a head lice infestation.”
So far, success has been strong. “People are so happy when they find out they can be done with head lice in about an hour,” Laurie said. “It really is a revolutionary product and process.” The success found at the Stevens Point clinic lead Moyer to open a second clinic in the fall of 2018 in Fox Cities.
Lice Clinics of America – Central Wisconsin is located at 2819 Post Road, Stevens Point, WI 54481 and 2233 W. Spencer St., Appleton, WI 54914. The clinics are two of more than 200 clinics in the United States. Certified technicians apply the treatment, and results are guaranteed.
With more than 350 clinics in 36 countries, Lice Clinics of America is the largest and fastest-growing network of lice treatment centers in the world. To learn more or to find a clinic visit, https://www.liceclinicsofamerica.com/clinics-near-you.
