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LouseBuster™
LouseBuster™ Device
How does it work?
The LouseBuster™ device delivers carefully controlled heated air directly to dry, untangled hair, at a temperature cooler than most hair-dryers and at a much higher flow rate. A unique, single-use applicator tip specially designed to penetrate beyond the insulating layer of hair is used to lift the hair slightly while directing airflow right onto lice and eggs which tend to be located near the scalp and hair roots. A specific, timed treatment pattern is followed to ensure all areas of the head are treated. No pesticides or other chemicals are used in the therapy; just heated air.
The LouseBuster™ device is highly effective because the small size and shape of head lice and their eggs make it difficult for them to conserve water. As such, when they are exposed to the right amount of heated air at the right temperature and for the right length of time, they dry out and die. Basically, the device dehydrates/dries out lice and their eggs.
How is it different than a regular hair dryer and/ or flat iron?
Good question – idea behind it is the same: heated air; but there are 3 important differences with the LB device and those differences are KEY to being highly effective:
A regular hair dryer:
- Is often too hot (the lice and their eggs need to be exposed to 30 seconds of heated air in each area – if you hold a regular hair dryer against the head for that long, it will most likely burn you. The LB device’s temperature is very carefully controlled at 58 degrees C and 138 degrees F
- Has an airflow that is too low – the LB has a controlled airflow of about 3 times as high as a regular hair dryer (analogy of hand dryers in public restrooms)
- Mats the hair down – the LB applicator tip is specifically designed to direct the airflow under the mass of hair, towards the roots and the scalp where lice feed and lay their eggs
How portable is the device?
It measures about 14 in wide x 19 in long x 12 in tall (35 cm x 48 cm x 30 cm) and weighs less than 17 pounds (7.7 kg). It has wheels for good maneuverability and is designed to rest on the floor during use. A 6-1/2 ft (2m) removable hose delivers heated air from the LouseBuster™ device to a single-use, disposable applicator tip.
The device runs on electricity from any standard power outlet (120V/15A; 240V/10A).
Lifespan of the device/ durability?
1 year standard manufacturer guarantee but is made to last much longer. For example: Blower is the same as what is used in a furnace to heat a home and specked to 90 000 hours
Why did it take so long to come to market – since the invention was published in 2006 in the Journal Pediatrics?
It has taken 3 years after the initial research was published (10 years total) of scientific investigation and intense medical engineering to get to a point where the device is mobile enough and more importantly safe and effective enough to go to market. The FDA reviewed the most recent clinical data and cleared the device in March 2009 giving the green light for production.
Is the device patented?
There are US and International Patents pending
LouseBuster™ Treatment
Does it work? Is it based on real science and what are the real effectiveness data?
Yes!
The LouseBuster™ technology is based on breakthrough research conducted by evolutionary parasitologist Dr. Dale Clayton and students at the University of Utah. The initial research was published in November, 2006 in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics, which can be viewed here: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/5/1962.
A second publication of clinical data (based on 2 later clinical studies) is expected in the near future.
Several clinical studies have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the device and treatment.
The LouseBuster™ treatment has been clinically shown to kill all stages of head lice:
95% overall effectiveness
Most significant: 99, 2% of lice eggs are dead after treatment!!
(87% effectiveness on lice)
Average treatment time? Does the degree of infestation or length of hair have an impact on treatment time?
The average treatment time with the LouseBuster™ device is 30 minutes. However with dense hair styles or if there is a severe infestation, the treatment will take slightly longer (up to 45 min). Better safe than sorry.
Since the LouseBuster™ device does effectively kills lice and eggs but does not remove all of them, a comb-out is recommended after treatment and to abide by no nit policies that may be in place in the child’s school. Comb-outs can be anywhere from 20 min to an hour. Typically, a short comb-out is included in the service fee. Check with your service provider.
What happens to the lice and eggs?
They either drop off or remain in the hair. That is one of the reasons we recommend combing afterwards.
How far do the lice actually blow?
Not very far and they usually just drop to the floor or remain in the hair. Not much farther than when a comb-out is done. (We recommend staying about 6 feet away.)
What with the combing/ use of combing?
The comb remains an important complement to the LB treatment
- To comb out dead lice eggs and lice after the treatment
- To diagnose
Up until now, combing has been the most effective and safe treatment against head lice. It still is an effective and safe method – that doesn’t change. However, it requires hours of combing and often second and third follow-up combing sessions are required. The LB shortcuts this: one treatment followed by a short comb-out is all you need to get rid of head lice.
Contact
Dawn Mucci, Director Lice Squad Canada Inc. www.licesquad.com
Deborah, National Pediculosis Association www.headlice.org
Guaranteed?
Yes! We stand by our product and service. Check with your local provider for details.
Who provides the treatments?
Because the LouseBuster™ device is an FDA-cleared medical device, those who will be operating it must be trained and certified in its safe and effective operation. 2 hour training sessions followed by a theory and practical exam where we insist in a 100% pass rate, are required. It is not rocket science but again, it is important to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
If it is such simple technology, why do you have to be trained and certified to do a treatment?
Yes, it is simple and yet the effectiveness and safety of the device are very dependent on the operator using the device correctly – that is the reason we insist on hands-on training
Is the treatment insurance coded?
It may be however we have looked into that and because head lice cause no known morbidity or mortality, it is low on the scale of priority for coding.
Some private insurance companies or FSA’s will reimburse for such treatments if the patient submits appropriate documentation for the treatment and you can always try and write it off under a medical expense.
What is typical cost and what does that include?
The hourly rate for Lice Squad Canada to treat a head lice infestation is $70 dollars, plus taxes and a $15.95 fee for the LouseBuster comb attachment. There may include a travel charge for on-site service and a product charge if a client wishes to purchase additional products for follow up and prevention care. An average visit is about 1 hour per person. The process takes – 30 minutes with the LouseBuster™ and 30 minutes to comb through the hair to remove the remains of lice and eggs. This does depend on the length and thickness of hair as well as the severity of the infestation.
What about people with lower incomes?
Good point and one we have definitely thought about. Right now, the treatment cost can be prohibitive for a certain % of the population. However, that is the main reason we have made the device available for purchase by institutions so that even those with lower incomes can have access to free or low-cost treatments through them.
We are also working on a project in some areas that would involve volunteering an afternoon a month and give free treatments.
Are the treatments available all over the country?
No, not yet but we are working on it. Currently we have treatment service available in Ontario, BC and NS. This technology is being made available through Lice Squad Canada’s franchise opportunity. Interested people who wish to start a business in their communities are welcome to enquire about franchising. – see our website for the most up to date information and call us if you are interested in becoming a service provider in your area.
Will LouseBuster™ finally end head lice?
That would be nice! The treatment will effectively end a current case of head lice. But lice are a common condition especially for school-age children. Wherever children are in close contact, lice can be present and can be spread. Direct head-to-head contact is the primary way to contract a case of lice and so we continue to recommend regular screening, avoiding direct contact with someone known to have lice, not sharing hats, hair brushes and other personal items, and keeping long hair tied up in ponytails or braids.
We have heard/ read that there can be live lice after treatment – 13%?
Our study, published in Journal Pediatrics, showed that one week after the LouseBuster™ treatment none of the subjects had viable head lice infestations. This indicates that there is a delayed effect on lice.
Are there contraindications?
Very few
The LouseBuster™ device cannot be used to treat people who cannot sense temperature or pain; who cannot communicate physical discomfort; who have open head wounds, sores, or visible signs of skin or scalp abnormalities or who have received radiation treatment of the head within the last 6 months; or those who have cranial or facial implants.
Can the unit burn your head?
There were no incidences of burns in the clinical studies. The heated air can feel hot to people with heat sensitivities. The device will only be used on children over the age of four and on people who can communicate effectively with the operator in terms of how there are sensing the warm air on their scalps. Operators must be trained and certified in the use of the LouseBuster™ in order to ensure its safe and effective operation.
What are the risks?
Larada Sciences has focused on maximizing the safety and effectiveness of LouseBuster treatments while minimizing the possibility of any risks. To date, no adverse effects have been reported; no one has been hurt by this treatment. However, as is the case with all medical devices, there are some risks which, although they have been reduced to levels that are as low as reasonably practicable, are still possible when the LouseBuster device is used:
CAUTION: Because the device delivers heated air, there is a slight possibility of scalp burn if the device is not used according to instructions.
CAUTION: Some dead or living lice and louse eggs may remain in the hair after a LouseBuster treatment. For cosmetic reasons and to improve the likelihood that all lice and eggs are removed from the hair and scalp after treatment, a complete comb-out with a louse comb is recommended.
CAUTION: For use only on clients with dry, untangled hair that can be easily combed or picked and whose scalp and hair are clean and free of hair and scalp treatment products, including conditioners, creams, gels, dressings, or oil-containing products.
Business Model – Strategy
Who sells the device?
Larada Sciences supplies its LouseBuster™ device directly and through select distributors in the USA, and exclusively through distributors outside the USA, including Canada, the United Kingdom and other European countries. Market introductions in Australia, Mexico and other Latin American countries, the rest of Europe, and Asia are pending.
Who is it being sold to and at what cost?
The device is an FDA-cleared medical device and not intended for private at home use – training is needed and cost can be prohibitive
Two groups of people:
- Institutions that provide Not-For-Profit treatments to their constituents. For example: schools treating their students on site, camps treating their kids on site, public health offices, etc
ð For them, the device costs $2595 including the hands-on training / single-use applicator tips are a separate cost – the exact retail price depends on the area (under $15.95)
- It is also either sold or leased to service providers that will provide treatment in a designated area.
ð The price point there is different – check with your local distributor.
COMPANY
Who Is Lice Squad Canada Inc.?
Lice Squad Canada Inc was founded in 2001 by Dawn Mucci, a certified aromatherapist, entrepreneur and mother of three after her own horrific struggle with head lice. After discovering that limited help was available, she decided to form a company that would provide help to others experiencing the same struggles. The goal was to innovate the way head lice were being treated. The mission was to stop the stigma associated with head lice and do away with the over use and abuse pesticides on children for its treatment. Since then the company has grown to include hairdressers, nurses, medical technicians and other parents who all share the same vision. Franchised since 2002, you can learn more about the services, products and franchise opportunities that Lice Squad Canada has to offer on the company web site www.licesquad.com
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