As the back-to-school season arrives, so does the unwelcome return of head lice. The mingling of children, teachers, and caregivers after a summer apart often leads to a surge in lice cases. But families in Middle Tennessee now have a new ally in the fight against lice: Lice Clinics of America—Williamson County. This clinic, part of the Lice Clinics of America (LCA) franchise, offers a groundbreaking dehydration technique to eliminate head lice and their eggs.
Owner Joe West was inspired to start the business after his daughter, who was away at college, called him worried about an itchy scalp. Fearing it might be lice, Joe contacted a clinic offering the AirAllé™ treatment for a head check. Fortunately, his daughter was lice-free, but this experience got Joe thinking: "What if someone needed help here?" After researching local options, he discovered that not a single clinic in Tennessee offered the non-pesticide AirAllé™ dehydration treatment.
"I saw this as a huge opportunity to launch a successful business by helping others in a crisis. It's a very rewarding business model," says Joe. The clinic opened in July 2024 to offer relief to families with its innovative approach.
The FDA-cleared AirAllé™ device provides a 30-minute session that dries out lice and nits. Once that is complete, the technician will comb out the nits from the hair and finish with a topical rinse. This efficient process eliminates lice and their eggs in about one hour without the mess of water or shampoos.
Benefits of the AirAllé™ treatment include:
- Minimizing school and work absenteeism due to lice.
- Providing a safe alternative for those with asthma, allergies or chemical sensitivities.
- Avoiding the risk of lice developing resistance, as they cannot adapt to dehydration.
Chemical treatments pose risks, especially to children and individuals with health concerns. Overuse of pesticides can be harmful, and many lice have evolved resistance to these chemicals. The AirAllé™ treatment, by contrast, offers a safe and effective solution by dehydrating lice—a method to which lice cannot adapt.
The clinic offers other services, including head checks and lice-prevention products. The clinic has committed to helping school staff on the front lines with children. Any private or public school principal who registers their school in our Schools Without Lice Program will enable full-time teachers, nurses or administrators to receive head checks and treatments in the clinic for FREE. No questions asked. "It's the least we could do for those who work hard every day to teach our children," says Joe. LiceClinicsOfAmerica.com/Nashville
Myths vs. Facts: Understanding Head Lice
Misconceptions about head lice are common. Here are some myths debunked:
Myth: Topical anti-lice shampoos effectively kill lice eggs.
Fact: Lice have developed resistance to the pesticides in many traditional treatments.
Myth: Having lice is a sign of poor hygiene.
Fact: Lice prefer clean hair.
Myth: Lice can spread diseases.
Fact: Head lice do not carry or transmit diseases.
Myth: Pets can spread head lice.
Fact: Lice can only survive on human heads.
Myth: Lice can fly, jump, and hop
Fact: Lice can only crawl. They depend on consuming blood every few hours, so they would never choose to leave their host. They are adapted to living in human hair and are reluctant to leave it.
Myth: Lice can live on pillows, hairbrushes and hats for a long time
Fact: Lice relies on feeding off its human host every 3 hours. They become weak and die quickly if they don't have a host to feed from every few hours.