Screening & Prevention

It can start with a letter sent home from your children’s school, sports coach or camp counselor. They have had reported cases of lice on people who come in contact with your child and may have passed the infestation on to them. What’s your next step?

You can start picking through your child’s hair to see if there are any visible lice or nits. But even if you don’t see any, your child may still be positive to infestation. You can wait and see if they do show up. But the longer you wait, if the child does have lice, the chance of others contracting them increases and the wider it will spread. The only way to be confident and avoid these issues is to call Lice Clinics USA immediately to schedule a screening.

Our Lice Screening Process

When you come into our clinic, we will ask you some questions; for example,

  • Why do you think you have lice?
  • What are your symptoms (intense itching, bleeding, head sores)?
  • Have you noticed any red bumps on the head, neck or shoulders?
  • Have you seen a bug?
  • Have you seen any small clear, amber, brown, or white objects in your hair?
  • Are there others you think may have been exposed in your household or with whom you’ve had contact?
  • Do you know someone that has recently been diagnose positive for lice?

We will then wet the patient’s hair to make the lice easier to see and may apply conditioner to make it easier to comb through. We part the hair into small sections and comb through each with a professional fine-toothed nit comb. We use a bright light to look closely at the scalp to check if lice or nits are present.

We are trained to know exactly what to look for, so this process shouldn’t take long. We do need to perform a thorough exam, however, to accurately assess the extent of infestation so we can advise on an appropriate treatment plan. It’s important to have all family members screened to avoid re-infestation.

The screening and assessment costs $25, which will be waived if you continue with one of our treatment plans. $15 for each additional family member.  Either way, you’ll also receive free information about how to treat your home and environment, along with how to prevent future infestations of lice.

Lice Treatment Consultation

Once we have examined the person or people suspected of lice infestation, we will advise you on the treatment plan options for those individuals who have the lice or nits present. This discussion can help you choose the best treatment option for making sure that you, your family, and your home are lice-free.

Prevention

There are some preventative measures you can take to avoid getting infested with lice in the first place. The reason lice are most commonly contracted by children is because they play in groups more often than adults. While it’s not possible to restrict all activities that place you at risk for lice infestation, there are a few things that can help prevent it.

  • Avoid sharing items that touch or come near the head, like
    • Combs
    • Brushes
    • Towels.
    • Helmets
    • Hats
    • Scarves
    • Hair accessories
    • Earbuds and headsets
  • Keep upper body clothing out of shared areas, like public closets or coatrooms.
  • If you’re in a public place, like a doctor’s office or library, opt for a metal, wood or plastic chair instead of the plush couch or chair. Lice and nits can live up to 48 hours on upholstered furniture or rugs.
  • If you suspect you or a family member has been exposed to lice, toss any exposed clothing that can be washed in the washing machine with hot water set on at least 130° F, then dry on high heat. Do the same with combs and brushes. If an item can’t be washed, place it in a plastic bag and freeze for 48 hours.

Don’t Panic, We’re Here to Help

Even if you do everything you can possibly think of to prevent lice, you may still find yourself infested with the little critters. It’s not the end of the world, and we provide options that don’t involve harsh chemicals and strong odors. Check out our treatment plans for more information.