Pubic lice

Pubic lice are small insects that parasitize the human body. Lice prefer the pubic area (both in men and women), but can also settle in other places where there is hair - armpits, stomach, chest. This type of parasite rarely affects the hairy part of the head.

On the human body, parasites grow slightly into the skin, but despite being practically immobile, lice lay a large number of larvae.

Parasites feed only on blood (without food, adult individuals die within 24 hours), however, lice have the ability to undergo anabiosis, i.e. without food, all body processes slow down significantly, they fall into a kind of "hibernation", in this state, adult individuals can last for several months.

Lice are quite tenacious – they can withstand pressure of up to 1 kg, a 30-centimeter layer of sand and survive in water for two days.

In European countries, the disease is widespread, and lice mainly affect young people.

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What does a pubic louse look like?

Pubic lice grow to a maximum of 2 mm, adult individuals have a pale gray color, which makes them almost invisible on the body. Parasites feel good at temperatures from 30 to 380C.

Lice live on average 27 days, during which time one individual lays a huge number of larvae.

How are pubic lice transmitted?

Pubic lice cause phthiriasis (pubic pediculosis), which is considered a sexually transmitted disease.

But lice infestation can also occur in public places such as saunas, swimming pools, solariums, hotels, barracks, trains, etc. Infection in hotels or trains can occur due to poor treatment of bed linen or towels, on which parasites can remain in a dormant state for several months.

After getting on the skin, the parasites become active after about a month. First, the insect attaches itself to the hair and inserts part of its body into the human skin. The insect's salivary glands secrete a special enzyme that prevents the blood from clotting. After a few days, the parasites begin to lay larvae (an adult female lays up to 10 eggs at a time).

Parasites usually choose pubic hair for their life activity, where apocrine glands are concentrated, the secretions of which attract lice.

Quite often, pubic pediculosis is accompanied by chlamydia, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases, since the main route of transmission of parasites is sexual contact.

Symptoms of Pubic Lice

The main symptom of pubic pediculosis is itching, which appears after the incubation period. In addition to itching, bluish spots (bite sites) may appear on the body, which disappear fairly quickly.

If the itching is not severe, a person may not know about the lice infestation for a long time.

The moment when lice settled on the skin can be judged by the growth of hair, since when the parasites get on the skin, they attach to the base of the hair and do not move in the future.

In addition to itching, the disease can be indicated by brown spots on underwear, which are substances released by parasites as a result of their vital activity.

Lice become more visible after they have fed on blood, as the parasites change color from pale gray to dark orange.

In advanced stages, blisters and sores appear on the skin, and eczema develops.

Pubic lice on the head

Pubic lice, due to their anatomical features, are not able to live on the scalp. The parasites' paws are adapted to moving along hair with a triangular cross-section, which grows on the pubis, in the armpits, etc. (the hair on the head has a round cross-section).

Pubic lice in men

Both men and women are equally at risk of becoming infected with parasites.

But in men, lice often affect both the pubic area and other parts of the body covered with hair (anus, scrotum, armpits, abdomen, chest, back). Moreover, the more hair on a man's body, the larger the area of parasite infestation.

Pubic lice in children

This type of lice parasitizes mainly adults, since the main route of infection is sexual contact. Children can get pubic lice while sleeping with their parents, using other people's towels, after visiting public baths, etc.

Pubic lice in children usually parasitize on the eyelashes or eyebrows.

Treatment of pubic lice

Parasites are destroyed by local preparations - ointments, sprays, creams, shampoos, solutions. Often, when pubic lice are detected, a person is sent for additional examination, since various venereal diseases are frequent companions of pubic pediculosis.

A person with pediculosis should thoroughly wash bed linen and underwear, and it is also imperative to iron them.

During treatment, it is recommended to shave the hair on the affected parts of the body.

The effectiveness of treatment depends on compliance with all doctor's recommendations.

In addition to underwear and bed linen, it is very important to treat upholstered furniture, mattresses and other items that the patient has come into contact with special preparations.

Medicines for pubic lice

When pubic lice are detected, special medications are prescribed that help to destroy the insects quite quickly.

The most popular drugs are:

• Nittifor water-alcohol solution – destroys both adult individuals and larvae. The preparation is applied to the affected parts of the body and washed off after 40 minutes. A repeat preventive procedure is performed after a week.
• Pedilin shampoo – destroys parasite larvae, applied to hair, washed off after 10 minutes. Repeat the procedure after a week.
• Medifox emulsion – destroys parasites, course of treatment – 3 days (the emulsion is rubbed into the affected parts of the body and left overnight). After finishing the treatment, it is recommended to wash thoroughly, change and disinfect bed linen and underwear.

During treatment, care must be taken to avoid contact of the drug with the face, neck, and scalp.

• Veda-2 shampoo – helps to destroy parasites in the pubic area or anus. The shampoo is applied for 10 minutes, then washed off, after the procedure, all dead insects and larvae should be removed from the hair.

To increase the effectiveness of treatment, all hair on the affected parts of the body should be shaved off; if this is not possible, the areas with lice should be treated with warm water with the addition of vinegar, which will dissolve the sticky substance that holds the parasites on the hair.

Pubic Lice Spray

There are several types of sprays for pubic lice on the pharmaceutical market:

• Pax is a combination drug that contains a neurotoxin that destroys parasites. This type of spray allows you to get rid of parasites in just one procedure. After treatment, it is recommended to wash thoroughly with soap.
• Lax, Nyuda – contain a natural insecticide – pyrethrin, which destroys adult insects and larvae.
• Pedikulin is a spray for treating underwear and bed linen.

Ointment for pubic lice

In the pharmacy you can see a large selection of ointments for pubic lice.

The most effective are mercury-sulfur ointment, xylene, and nittifor, which contain a natural insecticide.

Before applying the ointment, you need to shave your hair or treat it with vinegar water. It is better to do the procedure before going to bed.

Treatment of pubic lice at home

If you find pubic lice, you can try to fight the parasites yourself. You won't be able to simply wash away the insects and their larvae with shampoo, but hot water with vinegar helps dissolve the secretion that the lice secrete to attach to the hair.

Hair on the parts of the body affected by lice should be shaved, which will remove a significant portion of the parasites and make it easier to observe the parasites remaining on the skin.

Sulfur ointment, which has a strong smell but works almost 100%, shows good efficiency. Tar soap is also used to treat pediculosis, with which the affected areas are thoroughly washed.

Parasite larvae are more resilient than adult parasites, so it is recommended to boil the patient's underwear and bed linen for half an hour, then iron it well with a hot iron. The carpet, sofa, armchairs, etc. should also be treated.

Parasites themselves are not dangerous to humans, but they can be carriers of sexually transmitted diseases, so it is not recommended to treat this disease on your own, since diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia can only be detected in a timely manner after visiting a doctor.

Pubic lice are a parasitic disease that is transmitted mainly through sexual contact. Young people who lead an indiscriminate sexual life are the ones who suffer from this type of lice.

Modern medicine allows you to get rid of lice quite quickly (some drugs allow you to destroy parasites and their larvae after just one procedure), but there is a high risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.