Pubic lice are tiny insects that can live on body hair, especially the pubic hair around the penis or vagina. They’re spread through close body contact, most commonly through sexual contact.
The lice cannot jump or fly, but can climb from one person to another.
Pubic lice are sometimes also called crabs.
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Symptoms
Pubic lice are very small (2mm long) and grey brown in colour. Other symptoms of pubic lice include:
- itching, which is usually worse at night;
- small red or blue spots on your skin (lice bites);
- white/yellow dots attached to your hair (lice eggs);
- dark red or brown spots in your underwear (lice poo);
- crusted or sticky eyelashes, if they’re affected.
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Testing
If you think you have lice, make an appointment with your GP or local sexual health clinic.
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Treatment
Pubic lice will not go away without treatment.
The main treatments for pubic lice are medicated creams or shampoos that kill the lice.
You usually need to use the treatment on your whole body and leave it on for a few hours before washing it off. You’ll need to repeat this again a week later to make sure all the lice have been killed.
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How to prevent spread
While you’re being treated for pubic lice, there are some things you can do to help stop the lice spreading to others and stop the lice coming back.
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Wash your clothes and bedding on a hot wash (50°C or higher), get them dry cleaned, or put them in a plastic bag for at least a week. This will help kill any lice.
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Vacuum your mattress to remove any lice.
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Do not share clothes, bedding or hygiene products (such as razors).
- Do not have close body contact (including sexual contact) with anyone else during treatment.
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