Welcome to my newest series of investigative posts: Reddit Review, where we take a dive into a reddit post that sparks my interest! This week’s post is dedicated to something we’ve all heard about, but might not know much about: Pubic Lice. Let’s take a closer look at what they are, what their life cycle looks like, and treatment options.
What Are Pubic Lice… Also Known as Crabs?
Lice are tiny little insects that like to live atop living beings. In this case, humans! Pubic lice are commonly called crabs due to the way that they look. Unlike the lice that one might find on our head, which are elongated and slender, pubic lice are short and wide. They have similar looking eggs that are laid near the base of a hair follicle.
They do not have health complications related to them outside of rare instances where scratching may cause a break in the skin’s barrier and introduce bacteria. There is also a significant amount of stigma around crabs, but this is largely due to misconceptions and lack of proper education about them.
Pubic Lice Eggs, Pubic Lice Pictures
Are There Long Term Effects of Pubic Lice?
No. None.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Pubic Lice?
One would think that having these tiny little parasites on your body would be incredibly itchy, but their size is so small that you might not notice them moving around your body until there are a lot of them! Signs would be mostly visual — seeing the lice is one of the most indicative signs of an infestation of crabs. See photos above.
Although these are typically found in the pubic area, these lice can affect any area of the body that has hair. That includes the torso and even the eyelashes.
Pubic Lice Transmission / How Do You Get Lice?
You are probably thinking that these are sexually transmitted infections and while that is sort of true, it is not inclusive of other ways that one might be able to pick up pubic lice.
Lice cannot jump nor fly, so they rely on close contact to spread from person to person. Much like the lice one would find atop a head, pubic lice cannot live off of a host for more than a few days–different verified sources give different lengths of time; on average, it seems they live around 36-48 hours when not on a human host. This means that you can get these from something as innocent as trying on a shirt that someone else tried on earlier that day… or week. Sharing a bed or using a bed that someone else used before you can transmit them. Sharing as towel. Intimate contact of course is still a way to transfer them.
Treatments and Home Remedies for Pubic Lice
If the lice are in your eyelashes or eyebrows, speak with a professional to get assistance as treatments have harsh chemicals that should not be used near eyes.
Most treatments can be purchased over the counter after talking with a pharmacist. Directions will of course depend on which treatment you are using and where on the body you are treating. Generally, the treatment involves slathering the affected area(s) with the treatment and allowing it to sit for a set amount of time before rinsing off. This is followed with use of a nit comb to remove dead (or dying) lice and their nits.
It is important to repeat the treatment a few times so that you catch them all. If you miss one you can become re-infested, and it is hard to get all of them in one go sometimes. Due to their life cycle, it is best to treat once every 3–4 days for two weeks.
When I was doing some preliminary searches regarding pubic lice (crabs), one of the most common searches was “Pubic lice treatment Walmart.” People who are curious about this are not able to get to the doctor or are concerned about the stigma relating to it. Doctors see it all! Going in to your doctor to get the proper diagnosis and prescription treatment is the best option for you. Should seeing a doctor be an issue due to barriers outside of your control, let’s take a look at some over-the-counter medications available for you:
- Nit comb first and foremost! These can get pretty pricy for the good, sturdy steel tonged ones. The cheapest I found was $9.90. The plastic ones are cheaper, but will break and snap with more coarse hair.
- NIX is the most well-known anti-louse brand. This particular kit comes with a comb.
- If your infestation is easily reached, slather the area with white conditioner then comb out the lice and nits. Do this every other day or every fourth day for two weeks.
- I found a homeopathic treatment listed on Amazon without much information. A quick review of literature did not show any results for the product itself nor its ingredients. That means that there was no literature showing it works and no literature showing that it does not work. A few positive reviews, but in the age of the Internet, it is not uncommon for companies to purchase good reviews in order to sell more products.