Pubic lice
Pubic lice
Overview
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Pubic lice, also known as crabs, are tiny insects that live on coarse human body hair, such as pubic hair around the penis or vagina.
Pubic lice are not linked to poor personal hygiene.
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
When to See a Doctor
If you think you might have pubic lice, please talk to your GP practice, a local pharmacy, or your nearest sexual health clinic.
Testing for pubic lice
If you think you might have pubic lice, you can get checked free of cost. You can do this by:
- booking an appointment with your local sexual health service
- contacting your GP practice for an appointment
What does a pubic lice test involve?
There isn't a fixed test for pubic lice. Instead, your doctor or nurse will examine your hair for lice. They may check your pubic hair around your penis or vagina, and any other areas that could be affected.
To spot the lice more easily, your doctor or nurse may use a comb along with a magnifying lens.
You can also buy treatment over the counter at your local pharmacy, though the pharmacy staff will not be able to diagnose the infestation for you.
Treatment
Pubic lice are treated with medicated creams or shampoos that kill the lice.
Usually you'll need to apply the treatment over your whole body and leave it on for a few hours before washing it off. You'll need to repeat this a week later to make sure all the lice have been killed.
You may be asked to come back to your doctor's chamber or sexual health clinic once you've finished treatment, so they can check that it has worked.
Your partner or partners should also be treated, even if they do not have any symptoms.
Resistance
Some pubic lice can be resistant to treatment. This means the lice will not be affected by a particular medicine. If your symptoms don't settle, you may need to try more than one type of treatment.
Talk to your doctor or local sexual health clinic if your first treatment hasn't worked.
Treatment of lice in the eye area
Treating lice near the eyes is usually different from treating them elsewhere on the body, since certain creams and lotions are not safe to use so close to the eyes. Lice in this area can instead be removed with tweezers, or Vaseline can be used to suffocate them before removal.
Things you can do
While you're being treated for pubic lice, there are some things you can do to help stop them from spreading.
Do
- wash your clothes and bedding on a hot wash of 50 degrees or higher, have them dry cleaned, or seal them in a plastic bag for at least a week. This will help kill any lice.
- vacuum your mattress to remove any lice
Don't
- do not share clothes, bedding or personal hygiene items, including razors
- do not have any close body contact, including sexual contact, with anyone during treatment
How pubic lice are passed on
Pubic lice spread through close body contact with someone who has them, most commonly through sexual contact.
The lice crawl from hair to hair but cannot fly or jump. They need human blood to survive, so they generally only leave one body to move onto another person.
Pubic lice do not live on other animals, such as cats or dogs.
If you or your partner has pubic lice, you should avoid having sex, whether vaginal, anal or oral, and avoid close bodily contact as well. Keep this up until you have both finished treatment, including any follow-up treatment.
Prevention
Pubic lice spread easily, and condoms don't protect against them.
To lower your risk of getting pubic lice, limit the number of people you have intimate or sexual contact with.
Other STIs
If you've been diagnosed with pubic lice, you should get tested for other STIs, including:
- gonorrhoea
- chlamydia
- syphilis
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