A Word from Lice Clinics of America – Northern IL and Dr. Lauer
“Day after day we have clients who have exhausted themselves attempting a number of home remedies and over the counter lice treatments that just are not working,” says Erin Hawn , owner of Lice Clinics of America Northern IL, with locations in Vernon Hills and Spring Grove, which services Lake, McHenry, Kenosha and Walworth Counties. “Popular over the counter treatments are becoming less effective as lice are building a resistance to the chemicals commonly found in these products.”
“All too often, we see clients who have inadvertently or unknowingly tried something dangerous in an attempt to eliminate head lice at home,” says Erin. “We wanted to share a word from our National Medical Director, where she shares her expertise on why home methods aren’t working anymore and just how dangerous they can become.”
From Dr. Krista Lauer:
“As Lice Clinics of America head lice professionals, we are all used to having the most effective and safe head lice treatment at our fingertips,” says Dr. Krista Lauer, National Medical Director of Lice Clinics of America. “It seems unfathomable that some people are still suggesting alternative remedies without any scientific basis. Even more concerning is the fact that many of these recommendations could be dangerous.”
A few months ago, someone posted a comment on a Lice Clinics of America Facebook post suggesting kerosene as an effective treatment for head lice. This came with a “how-to” guide. “They suggested parting the hair into sections, applying kerosene to each section and sitting in the sun for a period,” says Dr. Lauer. “Needless to say, I was shocked!”
This comment came just a few months after a news story about a 16-year-old girl who was in the intensive care unit because a friend told her to put gasoline on her hair to kill lice. She’d taken gasoline from her family’s heating unit and dumped it on her head, igniting her hair. Her father, hearing his daughter’s screams, attempted to put out the flames with a towel. He was in the same hospital with severe burns to his hands.
Gasoline, like kerosene, is extremely flammable. Not only that, but both are associated with major toxicity. Kerosene and gasoline are both members of the hydrocarbon family of chemicals. According to US poison control centers, the ingestion of these chemicals is responsible for one to two percent of all non-medication toxic exposures in children under the age of six. Ingestion or breathing in hydrocarbons can be fatal. It may cause respiratory failure. In fact, hydrocarbons were implicated in almost five percent of all single-substance fatalities in the pediatric population younger than six.
Lice Clinics of America – Northern IL owner Erin also added, “The fear around the stigma of head lice may lead people into desperate times call for desperate measures way of thinking…Despite our best efforts, misinformation continues to be passed around. Recently, when looking at educational materials available to teachers, we found an article on an official site suggesting the use of mayonnaise. We know this doesn’t work not only because we’ve treated hundreds of clients who have tried it – but because mayonnaise simply doesn’t kill nits and isn’t consistently effective on bugs either.”
About Lice Clinics of America – Northern IL
Lice Clinics of America has over 300 clinics in 35 countries, making it the world’s largest network of professional lice treatment centers. Lice Clinics of America – Vernon Hills is located at 10 W Phillip Rd Suite 123 Vernon Hills, IL 60061 and Spring Grove is located at 2503 Spring Ridge Dr. Suite C1 Spring Grove, IL 60081 and is open seven days a week by appointment. Call 224-433-6087 or visit https://liceclinicsnorthernil.com for more information or to schedule an appointment.
