LiceDoctors Advises College Student in Metro Washington DC To Take Precautions Against Head Lice

BETHESDA, Md. - Oct. 7, 2014 - PRLog -- The metropolitan Washington DC area, including Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia, is the home to many colleges and universities. While head lice infestations are typically associated with preschool and elementary school children, college dormitory living renders these students vulnerable as well. It is close proximity to other people that facilitates the spread of head lice.

According to Karen Sokoloff, owner of LiceDoctors Head Lice Treatment and Nit Removal Service that makes house calls in the Montgomery County, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia areas, "We are called into dorms to treat students. In one instance, a mom called us to treat her twin daughters. When we arrived at the college, their friends wanted us to check them as well. It turned out that more than half the girls on the floor had lice. Lice are very contagious and while it is impossible to prevent head lice spreading within dorms, LiceDoctors offers some precautions that students can take:

1. Students should check each other for nits (eggs) or live bugs on a semi-regular basis. Many unwittingly bring lice with them from home especially if they have younger siblings. The most effective way to do this is to place the person near a bright window or under a bright light and search for translucent eggs that stick to the hair shaft. The nits are the size of sesame seed and are round on one side and have a point on the other side.

2. While the majority of lice cases are spread through direct head to head contact, lice can live off the head for a day. Therefore, it is best not to share brushes or hats with fellow room mates. Be careful if you are hanging out on a room mates bed.

3. If you play sports at college, do not share helmets or caps.

4. Students with long hair should put gel, mousse, spray or a lice repellent on their hair as a protective coating against lice. Lice like clean hair as it is easier for them to adhere to the hair more easily. In addition, LiceDoctors recommends that students with long hair wear it up in a bun or braid to make it harder for lice to find the hair.

These precautions will help in preventing the spread of lice, however, they do not guarantee that your child will remain lice-free. If despite these precautions your child contracts a case of head lice, we can treat her in her dorm or in off-campus housing at her convenience.

LiceDoctors treatment protocol was developed by the company's on staff medical doctor, Dr. Stephen Beck, nearly 20 years ago. Dr. Beck's all-natural treatment has been used to treat over 115,000 clients safely and successfully. LiceDoctors is a national company and it has a comprehensive training program for technicians who methodically comb and and then hand pick nits from the hair. The National Pediculosis Association in Cambridge, Massachusetts recommends combing and manual extraction as the safest, most effective way to eliminate lice.

LiceDoctors has an "A" rating with the Better Business Bureau and can be contacted in Montgomery County at 240-720-7491, in Northern Virginia at 703-662-4519 or in Washington DC at 202-570-7406 or at www.licedoctors.com. The company accepts Flexible Spending Accounts.