History of the AirAllé Device – Meet Dr. Dale Clayton
The AirAllé Device is an FDA approved medical head lice treatment tool that uses a combination of heated airflow, precise timing and positioning on the scalp. Proven research shows it to be over 99% effective, which means a less than 1% chance of reinfection. The 30-minute application uses the concept of dehydration to eliminate head lice and destroy their eggs, a benefit that over the counter shampoos cannot boast. This application treatment is being utilized in over 21 countries and has helped hundreds of thousands of patients successfully recover from a case of head lice.
Who Is Dr. Dale Clayton?
An Evolutionary Parasitologist, Dr. Dale Clayton has extensively studied the relationship of birds around the world and their feather-feeding lice. These feather lice spend their entire life from eggs to adult on their host birds. While researching birds and their lice at Oxford University in England he and his team had no difficulty culturing the live lice. In 1996 his laboratory was relocated to University of Utah in the arid climate that surrounds it. Not long after they noticed that the feather lice were not surviving. After consulting with other biologist colleagues in his department it was believed that installing a steam system in the lab where they cultivated the insects would solve the issue. That proved correct and his research was able to continue.
What do Feather-Lice and Birds have to do with Head Lice?
As Dr. Clayton’s research moved forward he began dealing with another problem at home, his children encountered head lice at their elementary school. As most people do, his family had difficulty removing the head lice with over the counter treatments that contain harmful pesticides and require several applications. He started to wonder, could the same general idea of dehydration that killed off his feather-feeding lice in the Utah climate be used to treat head lice on human patients? After working through several possible ideas, the final product was born – the AirAllé Device. This ingenious machine uses hot air, flowing at a high frequency to desiccate the insects and their nits.
The Lice Clinics of America use this machine to help hundreds of thousands of patients eliminate the head ache and worry of head lice. The best part is, no harsh chemicals are involved. The danger of allergic reactions, harmful substances absorbed into the skin, rashes or irritation to scalp, eyes, nose and throat are absolutely eliminated. Before this revolutionary idea, over the counter products that were available for parents to use were about the only option. Several applications are necessary and the increased research on these products shows that the active ingredient, permethrin, is indeed absorbed into the bloodstream. Young children especially are more prone to illness from this danger as their immune systems are not quite adequate to filter the toxin from their blood. Dr. Clayton’s invention has given parents an amazing option for a treatment that is safe, effective and in fact, much more affordable than these dangerous products in the long run.
