Great question (and popular)! After catching lice, there is absolutely no need to wait to start treatment wether its a professional service or handling it at home. The truth is that the sooner you get on a treatment regimen, the less likely it is that lice will infest other household members or ghet to a point where it is more difficult to treat. We recommend screening for anyone who knows that they were exposed. This will absolutely keep the infestation in control and hopefully isolated!