Pubic lice
and Martina Feichter, medical editor and biologistMarian Grosser studied human medicine in Munich. In addition, the doctor, who was interested in many things, dared to make some exciting detours: studying philosophy and art history, working on the radio and, finally, also for a Netdoctor.
More about the expertsMartina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.
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Pubic lice are blood-sucking parasites that only affect humans. They are particularly often found in the genital area, which is why they are often transmitted during sexual intercourse. Read how you can recognize pubic lice infestation and how to get rid of the parasites quickly!
ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. B85
Pubic lice: quick reference
- Appearance: max. 2 millimeters long, oval to shield-shaped body, six legs with strong claws (recognizable with a magnifying glass)
- Preferred locations: coat in the genital and anal area, occasionally also in the chest hair, armpit hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, etc.
- Contagion: directly from person to person with close physical contact (such as sexual intercourse): rarely indirectly via mattresses, blankets, etc.
- Common symptoms: itching (especially at night), possibly bluish discoloration of the skin at the puncture sites (up to the size of a fingernail)
- Treatment: means with anti-parasitic agents; Combing out with a lice comb; possibly shaving; Sex partners must also be treated!
- Caution: Do not use anti-parasitic agents on the eyelashes! Here the pubic lice are plucked out with tweezers or coated with Vaseline (death by suffocation)
Recognize pubic lice
Pubic lice are oval to shield-shaped and about 1 to 1.6 millimeters (maximum 2 millimeters) long. So they are a little smaller than head lice. With a magnifying glass you can see that there are strong claws on the six legs. With their help, the animals can cling to the pubic hair.
Where on the body can you find pubic lice?
Pubic lice are mostly found in the hair of the genital and anal region of a person. Because they like loose, not too thick hair and lots of sweat glands. Sometimes the parasites also appear on other hairy parts of the body, for example in the hairy chest and stomach area in men and under the armpits in both sexes. Pubic lice can even affect your eyelashes, eyebrows, and beard.
Pubic lice: way of life and reproduction of pubic lice
Pubic lice feed on their host's blood. To do this, they prick the skin with specially trained mouthparts up to ten times a day and suck themselves full of blood. The sting itself is usually not even noticed by those affected, but its consequences are. Like other louse species, pubic lice inject their saliva into the puncture site to prevent the blood from clotting.
However, the body's immune system classifies certain components of lice saliva as foreign substances and tries to fight them - a local immune reaction develops with itching and reddening of the affected areas of the skin.
The pubic louse is well adapted to its host, humans, and does not leave him voluntarily. The only exception is the change to another host. The female pubic louse has a lifespan of around a month. It lays up to five eggs (nits) a day by sticking them to the shaft of the hair with a special secretion.
After about a week, so-called nymphs hatch, which in their external shape are very similar to the adult animals. After a maximum of around three weeks, the animals are sexually mature and in turn begin to reproduce.
Pubic lice: contagion
Pubic lice are mainly transmitted directly from person to person through close physical contact, such as during sexual intercourse. People who frequently change their sexual partner are particularly at risk of pubic lice infestation.
You can also contract pubic lice indirectly, if you share a mattress, bed linen or blanket with an infected person. However, this happens much less often because a pubic louse can only survive for 24 hours without a host.
Pubic lice: treatment
Pubic lice are treated in a similar way to head lice: Topically applied agents with anti-parasitic agents such as permethrin are used. Please refer to the instructions for use to find out exactly how to use it and when to repeat it.
In addition, the infected areas should be combed out with a lice comb after treatment. In this way, the pubic lice killed by the insecticide and their eggs can be removed from the hair.
Sometimes it is also recommended to shave the hairy area of the body affected by pubic lice. Such a shave is not absolutely necessary, but it will help remove the nits quickly.
If the eyelashes are infected, you proceed differently in order to prevent possible damage to the eye by the medication. Here you should pluck the pubic lice and nits with fine tweezers. You can also apply Vaseline thickly to the eyelashes without additives three to five times a day (for eight to ten days) to smother the parasites.
Because pubic lice are likely to try to move to other hairy parts of the body nearby, you should treat your eyebrows and scalp hair with anti-parasitic agents at the same time.
More tips
The treatment of the sexual partner is particularly important in the case of pubic lice infestation. Otherwise there will be a ping-pong effect: the partners infect each other again and again. Sexual intercourse should also be avoided during the acute infestation.
The bed linen and clothing used by an infected person should be washed with hot water (at least 50 degrees).
For proper treatment, especially with medication, you should seek advice from a doctor or a pharmacy. Because only those who carry out the therapy correctly and consistently can get rid of pubic lice quickly.
Pubic lice: symptoms
The main symptom is moderate to severe itching caused by the pubic lice bites. He often gains weight at night, probably from the warmth of the bed. The skin at the puncture site may be red. In addition, there is sometimes a bluish coloration around the puncture sites, which can reach the size of a fingernail. These spots are called maculae coeruleae or "taches bleues" and are probably caused by small bleeding around the puncture site caused by the lice saliva.
Some people are allergic to the lice bites, which makes symptoms worse.
If you scratch yourself because of the itching, there is a risk that bacteria will penetrate through the injured skin and lead to so-called secondary infections.
Pubic lice: diagnosis
If the symptoms are fully developed, pubic lice are quickly suspected. In order to confirm it, the affected areas must be carefully inspected. The lice and their eggs are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. However, since they hardly move and are similar in color to the background, they are not always easy to spot.
Another indication of the lice infestation can be small, rust-brown stains in the underwear. This is the excrement of the animals.
Tags: sleep organ systems Diagnosis
