Lice Clinics of America® - Pearland Shares Safe Selfie Tips for National Selfie Day
National Selfie Day is June 21, and Lice Clinics of America - Pearland wants families to know that while selfies can be fun, they have also been linked to an increase in cases of head lice.
“A pediatrician recently coined the term ‘social media lice’ because she was seeing so many teenagers with head lice, and she linked the cases to taking selfies,” said Jen Mortensen owner of Lice Clinics of America - Pearland.
The Pearland clinic is seeing more cases of head lice among teenagers, a significant change in clients. Historically, lice outbreaks typically slow as children get older, as teens don’t do as much sharing of clothing or sleep close together as younger children do. The selfie phenomenon is changing this.
“The problem comes when teens taking photos of themselves crowd their heads together in order to fit in the picture,” Mortensen said. “Head-to-head contact is the primary way head lice spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
“When heads touch it’s lice can crawl right over. Lice don’t fly or jump, so the only way that they can spread is by physical contact with another human’s hair or head. Kids get head lice from heads touching close together in a car, hugging, or when they share hair combs, brushes, scrunchies and other accessories. When taking selfies, be careful not to let heads and hair touch,” Mortensen said. “We know kids want to be spontaneous, but no one wants to get head lice.”
In addition to avoiding head-to-head contact, wash and sterilize combs and brushes that may have been shared. Any clothing that is suspected of carrying lice should be placed in a dryer on high heat for at least 45 minutes.
Lice Clinics of America - Pearland is the area’s exclusive provider of lice treatment using the AirAllé® medical device. AirAllé is FDA-cleared and clinically proven to kill live lice and 99.2 percent of eggs through dehydration. The treatment takes about an hour and is guaranteed to be effective.
The Pearland clinic also offers a line of preventive products in the form of sprays and shampoos for hair that serve as a kind of lice repellent. The products are non-toxic and approved for daily use.
“We don’t want anyone to get head lice from selfies or anything else,” Mortensen said. “But if you do, come to our clinic and you will be lice-free in an hour, and we can help you stay that way too.”
Lice Clinics of America – Pearland is one of 330 clinics in the Lice Clinics of America network in 33 countries. AirAllé has treated more than 500,000 cases of head lice worldwide with a success rate better than 99 percent.
Lice Clinics of America - Pearland is located at 4420 Broadway Street, Pearland, TX 77581 and is open Monday-Sunday by appointment only. Call 281-375-3179, email info@theliceremovalclinic.com or find us on our website www.theliceremovalclinic.com for more information or to schedule an appointment.
