Home Hair CareLice Pubic lice: causes, symptoms and treatment

Pubic lice: causes, symptoms and treatment

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on
Pubic lice

Crabs are small insects very similar to lice that lodge in pubic hair and are transmitted from person to person through intimate or direct contact, usually during sexual intercourse. The contagion with these lice is within the list of sexually transmitted diseases. Although it does not affect other organs and parts of the body, it causes very annoying symptoms, among which an intense itching in the genitals stands out.

The infection of Pubic lice was much more common in the past, and today it is considered that only 2.6% of men have been infected in the last years. Since the condom is not an effective method to combat the spread of crabs, it is believed that female and male waxing may be responsible for a decrease in the number of people infected with crabs. To learn more about pubic lice: causes, symptoms, and treatment, we invite you to continue reading this article by FastlyHeal.

Causes of infection with pubic lice

When we talk about crabs or pubic lice, we refer specifically to the Phthirus pubis insect, a tiny animal with its claws, very similar to those of crabs, hugs all the hairs of the body except those of the head. Therefore, although the infection is most common in genital and pubic hair, crabs can occur in the beard, chest, armpits, and eyelashes.

The contagion is carried out by direct contact of the louse with the hair since this animal cannot walk quickly or jump. Once infection occurs, crabs lay nit-like eggs for reproduction. The most common transmission route is sexual intercourse since during the act, there is skin-to-skin contact that allows the louse to hug the hair without much effort.

The Phthirus pubis is an insect that can only survive in human hair, so a route of infection can’t be through contact with animals. This insect only survives 3 or 4 days outside the human body, which is why its contagion has not been proven by using towels or intimate clothing of infected people. Crabs are more common in teens than adults.

Symptoms of pubic lice infection

The symptoms of pubic lice infection usually four weeks after infection occurred appear. Having crab lice can cause the following symptoms:

  • Itching: it is the most characteristic symptom of the infection. The itching can be very intense when the animal begins to invade the skin. At night the itching is usually more annoying due to rest and the amount of cloth covering the area.
  • Skin injuries are minor wounds resulting from rough scratching with the nails. If the grating is very intense, ulcers may appear on the skin.
  • Change in skin color: Pubic lice can change the pigmentation of the skin, causing it to turn bluish.
  • Conjunctivitis: when crabs infect the eyelash area, inflammation of the eye conjunctiva and eyelids occurs, known as conjunctivitis. This type of infection is more common in children.
  • Presence of white eggs in the hairs.

When going to the doctor, the diagnosis is straightforward to corroborate by consulting the symptoms and performing a physical examination of the affected area since the parasite attached to the hairs can be seen with the naked eye. The presence of skin wounds or ulcers also facilitates the diagnosis. The ideal is to take the parasite to a microbiological study to identify its type. However, the claws of this animal are so characteristic that just by looking at it, you can determine that it is a Phthirus pubis.

Symptoms of pubic lice infection

Treatment to eliminate crabs

To eliminate pubic lice, it is necessary to go to the doctor to prescribe the ideal treatment. If both you and your partner are infected, both the medicine must be carried out to avoid a second infection.

The drugs commonly used for lice are decisive for the delicate skin of the genitals. For this reason, the medication must be prescribed only by a doctor.

Brushing your pubic hair with a delicate toothbrush is excellent for removing any eggs that insects may have left behind. One way to loosen these nits before brushing them is to rinse the pubic hair with vinegar. Home remedies such as apple cider vinegar or boiling water are ineffective in killing crabs.

Tips for treating crab infection

  • Wash all clothing, underwear, and bedding in boiling water.
  • Items that cannot be washed should be sprayed with a medicated spray.
  • Unwashable items can be wrapped in plastic bags for 14 days to suffocate insects.
  • Anyone with whom you have had sexual intercourse should undergo the treatment.
  • When discovering pubic lice, you need to rule out other types of sexually transmitted diseases.

This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Pubic lice: causes, symptoms, and treatment, we recommend that you enter our Skin, hair, and nails category.

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