News articles are sounding the alarm: head lice are evolving into “super lice.” Resistant to many of the traditional over-the-counter lice treatments, some seemingly unstoppable strains of lice are now infesting U.S. school children. An estimated 10% of U.S. school children miss school annually while they are fighting lice infestations. What makes these lice so super? How can you be a super hero in eliminating them? Lice may be increasingly resistant to traditional pesticide-based treatments, but alternative lice treatments that kill lice instead by physical modes of action are available over the counter and are proven to be an effective and safe option – and one that pesticide-resistant lice cannot defend against.
The Story of Head Lice and Permethrin
What’s being reported in the news now has been suspected for decades by the scientific community. It all started in the 1950’s and 60’s, when the insecticide DDT was widely used to kill body lice and other pests. Head lice were inadvertently treated with DDT and lice that carried a genetic mutation that protected them against this pesticide survived to spread this resistance gene – the same gene that makes them resistant to some of the pesticides commonly used today to treat head lice infestations (i.e., permethrin, from the pyrethroid class). As the number of bugs still susceptible to these pesticides continued to drop, the mutated lice population, those being referred to as “super-lice”, grew.
Finally, the situation has reached where it is today—scientists believe the number of lice resistant to permethrin-based treatments ranges from 97-99% across the U.S. and Canada.
Good News in the War Against Head Lice
Pesticide-based treatment shampoos and lotions are the most widely available over-the-counter products, but with the increase of resistant lice, what choices do parents have to ensure an effective and fast remedy?
Enter Vamousse – a safe, effective pesticide-free lice treatment product. Vamousse Treatment is delivered in a convenient mousse that kills 100% of lice and their eggs in just one 15-minute application. Once the mousse is applied according to the directions and saturates the hair to contact all of the lice and nits, dead lice and nits can be combed out of the hair. Vamousse works by destroying the outer protective lipid layer of the louse and then dehydrating the insect effectively and quickly. Without relying on the long-standing synthetic pesticides, Vamousse kills even the otherwise resistant lice.
Parents concerned with applying synthetic pesticide-based treatments to their children’s heads should be even more cautious in doing so understanding that these treatments are increasingly less effective due to pyrethrin and pyrethroid resistance. Vamousse now allows parents and children to get rid of head lice without the use of synthetic pesticide-based treatments. Get fast, reliable relief for your child and get them back to school sooner with Vamousse.