FDA-cleared Device Kills Lice and Super Lice in Minutes, not Months
A July article in Inc Magazine had a tip that moms won’t want to miss, especially as another school year begins.
A medical device is available that rids kids’ heads of lice in a matter of minutes.
I know, you’re already scratching your head just by thinking about lice!
The device is called AirAllé, and it’s been on the market since 2010. How does it work? “The AirAllé answer is surprisingly simple and creative: use heated air,” writer Kate L. Harrison tells Inc. “It turns out that directing the right amount of heat and airflow along the scalp for a specific duration of time kills not only the crawling lice, but the lice eggs as well.”
For any mom that has dealt with head lice, this is welcome news indeed. “For decades, the most popular and effective options for combating head lice were pesticide-based shampoos and ointments that target the lice and/or their eggs,” Harrison said. “Unfortunately, as happens with all prolonged attempts at chemical pest management, lice have evolved resistance to our arsenal of poisons.”
Indeed, a study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology in March 2016 found that 98 percent of head lice in the United States now carry gene mutations for pesticide resistance—up from just 37 percent in 2001.
AirAllé represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in lice treatment in decades. In fact, “It took researchers at the University of Utah ten years to develop the device,” Kate writes. “First, they had to prove that this novel way to kill lice worked. Then they had to prove to the FDA that it was both safe and effective to use on humans, since there wasn’t a similar device already on the market.”
The AirAllé device is the only treatment that kills both live lice and eggs. Gone are the weeks of daily combing to make sure that every nit has been picked! If that weren’t enough good news, eco-conscious moms love it because there are no chemicals involved. The traditional lice products, even when they worked, essentially required moms to douse their child’s head with pesticides. Ick.
The AirAllé device doesn’t just blow hot air like a hair dryer. In fact, ordinary hair dryers won’t work because they are designed to dry hair, not treat the scalp where lice feed and breed. The AirAllé device includes an applicator that helps direct air to the right places and at the right temperature to dehydrate lice and eggs.
Lice have pestered humans for hundreds of thousands of years, and they’ll probably keep at it for the next hundred thousand. Each year in the United States, there are 6-12 million head lice cases reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The wide range reflects irregular reporting by families, schools, and doctors.
Lice outbreaks don’t cause other health problems and have nothing to do with hygiene, contrary to what most think. The critters actually prefer clean hair for easier access to the scalp.
The AirAllé device isn’t sold as a product but as a service through Lice Clinics of America treatment centers throughout the United States and 33 other countries. It requires a trained technician to apply the treatment, and most clinics guarantee success in about an hour.
Kids often get lice at summer camp and bring it to school if left untreated. In addition to treating head lice, Lice Clinics of America centers offer head checks and can give anxious parents the thumbs up if no lice are detected. Visit www.liceclinicsofamerica.com to find a clinic near you.
