How Much Does It Cost To Treat Head Lice And Why Our Lice Treatment Is Worth Every Penny!

Okay let’s get real here. We get phone calls everyday and one of the top questions is how much does it cost to get rid of these head lice?

Here at Gulf Coast Lice Removal we have several different options to safely treat head lice. Starting with our Signature Treatment to our take home products.

These can cost between $175 down to $15. Now, before you stop reading let’s get some educational background on why our treatment is worth every penny!

SUPER LICE AND OTC TREATMENTS

Most people are aware of super lice. The Mayo Clinic even talks about them and how much of a worry they are to parents.

Super lice have now been confirmed in 48 states, making common over the counter products ineffective. In fact, OTC products are less than 25% effective at killing live lice and 0% effective at killing lice eggs.

OTC products use misleading marketing tactics with claims that their product kills lice and nits. That’s simply not true! Even if the product kills the live bugs (remember-25% effectiveness), the eggs will hatch and start the cycle over again, which results in multiple purchases of products that aren’t working.

Many OTC products use harsh chemicals and pesticides. Parents often treat their children multiple times with these products before coming to us. It’s not unusual for us to see children with chemical burn on their scalp due to multiple failed OTC treatments. Price points on these products is usually $10-30 for each application.

NATURAL DOES NOT MEAN BETTER

Natural lice treatments include many so-called home remedies such as mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is a combination of egg yolks, vinegar and vegetable oils. These ingredients aren’t designed to kill lice and/or lice eggs. I could go on and on, but please trust me ….. mayonnaise does not work and is not the answer.

We have also heard of people that swear by using coca cola, listerine, rubbing alcohol and even kerosene (yes, you are hearing me right!). Not only do these “natural” lice remedies not work, they are often times unsafe and can be very dangerous. 

PRESCRIPTIONS COST MORE AND STILL WORK LESS

Many people will go to their primary care physician when over the counter options don’t work. There are several prescription products available. Not only can they be very expensive, they can also be extremely dangerous.

Lindane, for example is known to be harmful and has been targeted for world-wide phase out since 2009 by the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty the targets some of the world’s deadliest toxins. The U.S. has not ratified the treaty, and has no imminent plans to ban lindane for head lice. Since 2006, lindane can no longer be used here on crops or cattle, or for any other purpose regulated by the EPA. It has been linked to cancer, seizures and deaths, according to the FDA. So …. you can’t put lindane on your dog in the U.S., but it’s still being allowed to put on your child’s head! That’s messed up!

Another prescription medicine is ivermectin which comes in a lotion and pill form. This is the same medicine used for heartworm prevention in dogs and cats. Many healthcare professionals have concerns about the safety of providing a heartworm medication in pill form to humans. I’d say that concern is warranted!

Just because a drug is a prescription, does not mean it’s the best way to eradicate head lice. These products are powerful pesticides and can be neurotoxic. All of these products have side effects from burning and irritation to more severe reactions. We have also seen severe burning of the skin due to a prescribed medication. In fact, we had to send the child home to let her scalp heal before getting rid of her lice. Ironiccally, the medication burned her skin but didn’t get rid of the lice.

If you decide to treat yourself or your child with a prescription product, please do some research to understand exactly what is in the medication, the potential side effects, and the expected outcome (level of efficacy). It’s also important to follow the instructions exactly as outlined by the manufacturer and do not use more than instructed.

If you’d like more information on some of the common products used to treat head lice, jump over to “A crawling issue: Head lice treatments worse that the pest itself?”

TIME IS MONEY! STOP LICE IN HOURS, NOT DAYS OR WEEKS

Many of our local schools have a “no nit policy”, which means kids cannot go back to school until all the lice and eggs are gone. This means you cannot resume your activities either. The cost to treat head lice is more that just the treatment itself, it also includes the cost of missed activities, work and time spent doing lice related procedures such as combing & cleaning.

Getting rid of lice quickly greatly reduces the cost. Using ineffective products allows the infestation to worsen and spread to other family members. The cost to treat head lice can easily double or triple because they are highly contagious.

Our signature treatment cost $175 and usually takes about an hour to completely eradicate lice and their eggs. No more missed school, missed work, repeated trips to the lice aisle, combing and crying. You’ll get right back to your life without missing a beat!

Everyone has their specialty in life and seriously ours is lice…and we are proud of it.  The relief we provide to families is absolutely irreplaceable, valuable and so rewarding.  Do no let lice rule you or your families time and money and health.  Come in and let Gulf Coast Lice Removal take care of it!