by The Gen-X and Gen-Y Certified Technicians at Naughty Nits – Lice Clinics Upstate NY
Growing up in the 90s, we recall the bi-monthly trips to the nurse’s office where we waited in line to have a set of wooden sticks poked through our hair. Every once in a while, a classmate would get sent home. Oh, the shame! Back in the day, nobody was allowed back to school until the nurse who would check that all the nits were gone cleared you. Luckily, with the changing times, schools are more discreet about head lice cases. But, did you know that the no-nit policy has also become as obsolete as those long, single-file lice checks in school hallways?
The CDC states that no-nit policies are unnecessary mainly because most nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp. Such nits are usually not viable and very unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may in fact be empty shells, also known as casings. Nits are cemented to hair shafts and are very unlikely to be transferred successfully to other people. The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice. Misdiagnosis of nits is very common during nit checks conducted by nonmedical personnel.”
Interestingly, the National Association of School Nurses discourages mass screenings as research has proved them to be a waste of time and energy, having little impact on containment of head lice. Similarly, lice letters have also been put to a stop as they create panic and prove to have minimal impact on the prevention of head lice infestations.
One reason a no-nit policy makes sense for our clients is that we use an FDA medical device, the AirAllé. This device kills 99.2% of the lice eggs in a single treatment. At Naughty Nits – Lice Clinics Upstate NY, the lice professionals also comb out the debris, but unlike the over the counter treatments that can’t penetrate and destroy lice eggs – out treatment kills them in place. For the first time, a nit in the hair is no longer a threat. Try over the counter pesticides, mayonnaise, Cetaphil, Coca Cola or coconut oil though and those nits in the hair might just hatch in one second, one minute, or one hour and start the nightmare all over again!