Pubic lice
Overview
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.
Symptoms
Pubic lice are very small (2mm long) and grey-brown in colour. They can be hard to spot, but sometimes you may be able to see them in your hair. They most often live on pubic hair around the penis or vagina, but can also be found in hair on the chest, armpits, face and eyelashes. They do not affect hair on the head. Other symptoms of pubic lice include: itching, which is usually worse at nightsmall 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
Causes
Tiny insects (crabs) passed through close body contact (usually sex).
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. You may be asked to come back a week after you finish treatment, to check if the treatment has worked. Any current or recent sexual partners should also be treated, even if they do not have symptoms.
Prevention
It can be hard to prevent pubic lice. The only way to avoid getting them is to avoid having sexual contact (or sharing bedding or clothing) with anyone you know who has pubic lice, until they've been treated. Condoms and other forms of contraception will not protect you from pubic lice. But it's still a good idea to use condoms during sex because they reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
When to see a doctor
See GP/Sexual Health Clinic if: itching/lice found.