Head Lice and Back to School: What to Know

Causes of Lice Spike Cases During Back-To-School Season

Racine-area parents have enough to worry about with this upcoming school year without needing to think about exposing their little ones to head lice. The unfortunate reality is that the number one reason that lice cases typically spike during back-to-school season is due to children being in close vicinity with each other. According to John Hopkins pediatrician and head lice expert, Bernard Cohen “(this time of year) the incidents do clearly go up” (USAtoday.com). 

How to Reduce Lice Spreading At School?

Contrary to popular belief, lice do not bounce from head-to-head, but rather crawl from scalp to scalp. This head-to-head contact amongst students should be avoided when at all possible as it is the #1 way for lice to spread. As children fill the classrooms, lice cases surge for this reason. 

Schools recognize the impact these parasites can cause. Some even implement no-nit policies that prevent students from returning to school if they have baby shells of lice called nits in their hair. Experts say these are well intentioned, but ineffective policies. Lice can be a stressful issue for children, but the specialists at Lice Clinics of America in Racine offer several treatments to effectively treat Racine-area head lice cases. 

My Child Got Lice! What Now?

Don’t worry, check in with your Lice Clinics of America clinic nearest you. We begin with our screening process, in which clinicians thoroughly inspect the hair and scalp of the patient. If an active case of head lice is found and a treatment plan is chosen, the initial screening fee is waived. 

Our treatment plans feature the signature Airallé® treatment, which is a 3-step method that ensures the patient will leave lice-free with no follow-up needed. This treatment is not recommended for children under a specific age, but in these cases, a strand-by-strand comb-out method is utilized with non-toxic products. These methods ensure that all patients and parents feel comfortable and safe. After all, don’t parents have enough to worry about this school year? 

Instead of an unanticipated haircut, let the experts find the right solution for you at the Lice Clinics of America in Racine.