Who We Are
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Lice Clinics of America™ is a brand of Larada Sciences, Inc., a privately held medical-device company founded in 2006 to commercialize breakthrough technology that has been clinically proven to kill head lice and 99.2 percent of their eggs in children and adults in a one-hour treatment using carefully controlled, heated air. The FDA- cleared, patented m
edical device, marketed as AirAllé®, offers consumers worldwide a truly effective, eco-friendly, non-toxic and reliable alternative to prescription drugs and/or the protracted, multi-week self-treatment regimen of topical shampoos, pesticides and fastidious combing, few of which have AirAllé’s highly differentiating ability to kill the lice eggs that may later hatch and continue the infestation. With more than 150 treatment locations in 18 countries, Larada Sciences has built the world’s largest network of independently owned lice-treatment clinics. History
The AirAllé® device is a central component of Lice Clinics of America. The concept of treating head lice with just heated air originated in the laboratory of Dr. Dale Clayton at the University of Utah, where he is a professor in the Department of Biology. While doing research on the biology of birds and their feather lice in 1996, he discovered that, because of Utah’s arid climate, it was difficult to keep lice cultures alive. Around this same time, Dr. Clayton’s elementary school children contracted head lice that appeared to be resistant to chemical shampoos. He then set about to determine a more effective method of eliminating lice by using dry, warm air. Ultimately he determined that a combination of heat and considerable airflow is required to desiccate the lice. But conventional blow driers do not work well because they tend to mat the hair and are dangerously hot, causing burns if they are used to direct hot air for a long period of time on one location as is needed to treat head lice. After months of development and experimentation, he created the custom-engineered LouseBuster prototypes. The culmination of this work was the publication in 2006 of a paper in the journal Pediatrics reporting data on the success of the LouseBuster device for killing head lice and their eggs. An accompanying press release by the University of Utah generated worldwide media attention that validated widespread interest in such a device, and the critical need for it. After months of development and experimentation, Dr. Clayton’s lab created the custom-engineered LouseBuster prototypes. Larada Sciences, Inc. incorporated in 2006 to take the LouseBuster product to market. In 2015, Larada Sciences rebranded its network as Lice Clinics of America. FDA Clearance
Clinical studies done on over 500 people with head lice demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the AirAllé device and treatment. On December 16, 2009 the FDA gave Larada Sciences clearance to market the AirAllé unit as a Class I medical device. Today, thousands of professional lice treatments are now being successfully done each month with the AirAllé device.