Jason Biggs’ wife among rising head lice victims as $1.3B treatment market soars

Head lice infestations have exploded globally, according to experts, with the treatment market set to reach $1.3billion in the next five years.

The Lice Treatment Global Market Report 2024 from ResearchAndMarkets.com reveals there has been a ‘global rise in the incidence of lice infestations.’

In the US, the CDC notes there ‘isn’t reliable data’ on how many people get head lice each year, but it is estimated six to 12million children aged three to 11 are blighted by the tiny insects. 

The report suggests numbers could be on the rise, as lice have become ‘resistant’ to older, chemical-based treatments. And no one is immune. 

Most recently, Jason Biggs’ actress wife Jenny Mollen brought the topic of head lice into the spotlight after discovering an infestation midway through a commercial flight.

This means there is a greater demand for new environmentally-friendly formulations and ‘methods that can address resistant strains of lice.’

Eliana Ortega, who is the founder of Larger Than Lice – a New York-based in-home head lice removal service – told DailyMail.com over the past two years, she has seen a ‘significant rise’ in lice infestation cases. 

Looking at possible reasons for this spike, she says: ‘I believe this increase is linked to the recent population growth and immigration.’

Ms Ortega added: ‘Public schools are now overcrowded, with approximately 35 percent more students in each class compared to previous years. 

‘This situation makes sense, as head lice are transmitted through head-to-head contact, and young children often do not maintain personal space.’

In a recent Instagram video, Jenny Mollen brought the topic of head lice into the spotlight after discovering an infestation midway through a commercial flight. 

In an apparent effort to prevent spreading the lice, the Crazy, Stupid Love actress revealed in a the post that she opted for a questionable solution: a plastic bag over her head.

In response to critics who slammed her for getting on a plane with lice, Ms Mollen explained in a second video she was unaware of the infestation until she was already on the plane.

‘I thought that I was going through perimenopause,’ she explained.

She has since undergone treatment, along with her family and several others who were exposed.

ResearchAndMarkets.com’s report on the head lice treatment market notes there has been an ‘influx of groundbreaking solutions and techniques including advanced lice combs with innovative features designed to facilitate easier and more effective lice elimination.’

Manufacturers have also embraced natural remedies in response to the increasing demand for safer, chemical-free treatment options for families. 

In terms of geographical insights, the researchers found North America reigns as the largest market, while Asia-Pacific has been deemed the fastest-growing region.

The TikTok account, whatifshow, recently revealed as many as 20,000 tiny insects could live on your head after one month, many of which would resist treatment.

These blood-sucking parasites are eliminated in nine to 10 days with the FDA-approved permethrin lotion and a fine-toothed comb that catches the lice and eggs.

However, ignoring the critters allows them to turn your scalp into their new home, which can lead to infections.

Lice can be contracted by sharing tools such as brushes, combs or towels with someone with an infestation.

And they are most common in primary school children who pass the insects to each other during play.

These small bugs can fly and jump from person to person, so if a child is infested with lice, the rest of the family likely will be too.

Symptoms include extreme itchiness of the scalp, a crawling sensation across the scalp and sores or scabs on the scalp from scratching.

You will also be able to see strands of hair covered in tiny white eggs, known as nits, which appear yellow.

A week later, adult lice will start to appear and crawl all throughout your scalp.

Extreme infestations that go untreated for a long time can result in toxic shock syndrome. 

The fully grown and developed adult insect is the size of a sesame seed.

It has six legs and is tan to grayish-white in color.  They can live for up to 30 days on your scalp.

‘Now things are getting itchy. You’d scratch to try and relieve yourself from that awful itch, but this would only leave you with painful soars that would be at risk of getting infected,’ the TikToker said in the video.

Adult lice can lay about six to 10 nits a day when they finds a host, and the eggs take about nine days to hatch. 

If untreated, these nits can multiply by the tens of thousands.

‘Eventually, you could end up carrying 20,000 of these unwanted hitchhikers, including treatment-resistant super-lice,’ the narrator said.

Lice feces is another nightmare of this parasitic infestation.

Your scalp will begin to smell because of the bacteria build-up on the lice, on their eggs and in and on their excretions. 

At this point, the person’s sleep is disrupted due to itching and the stench coming from their head.

Australian baby and child CPR experts recently busted the biggest myths and misconceptions about head lice, including how they can not live anywhere other than the human head and are not transmitted by jumping or flying from person to person. 

Keeping your locks clean and shiny will not deter head lice as they ‘do not discriminate’ and are not the result of dirty hair or poor hygiene.

CPR Kids does not recommend insecticides for treating head lice.

‘Insecticides can actually have more serious health effects than the lice themselves as they can cause skin irritation,’ the post read.

Finally, keeping your kids away from school or daycare will not break a head lice infestation and CPR Kids say eradication is more effective.

‘Head lice eradication is most effective if the schools and the community work together to treat an infestation, for example, running a Nitbuster program,’ they said.