Why Don’t Over The Counter Medications Work Anymore?
A 2016 article in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that at-home lice treatments are less than 25% effective. This study was conducted in ideal circumstances, with only one lice-positive child in the home. What’s gone wrong?
For 30 years, over-the-counter medications worked well. They worked so well that they eliminated lice that were susceptible to over-the-counter pesticides. Today’s lice, commonly known as “Super Lice,” are resistant to the pesticides you find at the pharmacy.
Treatment clinics are stepping into the void. The FDA-cleared dehydration process at Lice Clinics of America is over 99% effective. Dehydration kills both bugs AND eggs making the comb-out process merely cosmetic. Treatments take roughly an hour, contain no pesticides, and are vastly more effective.
Over the counter had their day, but modern lice treatment requires a new solution.