Pubic lice are very small about 1.1 to about 1.5 mm long insects that are often called crabs found mostly in the pubic hair. They are much different from the normal hair or body lice the latter being slightly larger and of a more elongated appearance.
They are found in the pubic hair and may occur as a result of using dirty bedding, or under garments or even having sexual contact with an infected person. The first symptom of having pubic lice is itching in the genitals and severe irritation. Pubic lice though visible to naked eye are easy to spot under a magnifying glass and especially their yellowish white eggs found in the hairy region.
Though called pubic lice they may also be present in the underarm hair, eyebrows, and eyelash or even in body hair for the person who has got too much body hair.
Getting Rid of Pubic Lice
As a preventive here are a few steps you can follow:
Keep yourself Clean
The first is to always wash and keep yourself clean, rinsing well your genital regions during bath. Apply antibacterial soaps that are a bit strong and can reach deep inside the hairs and cleanse it out.
Wash your Garments on a Daily Basis
Make sure that the towel you use is cleaned well and dried. Do not use a dirty old towel without washing. It is good if you dry your cloths and towel in the sun as it kills all the germs and acts a purification process. Make sure you change and wash your undergarments every day. This might also be a source of lice infestation.
Use Lindane Shampoo
Use Lindane ShampooLindane shampoo is often a prescribed medication and it kills lice and destroys lice eggs instantly. But make sure it is what the doctor prescribed because lindane can be harmful, especially for infants, people with sensitive skin, women who are pregnant or are breast feeding and allergetic pesons.
Change your Bedsheets
Your bedding might also harbor this unwanted lice colony. Make sure you change your bed sheets every week and wash them up in a good laundry. You can even let your bed mattress dry up in the scorching mid day sun to remove any lice if present.
Avoid Sexual Contact With an Infected Person
If you are a victim of pubic lice, it might also be due to sexual contact with an infected person. The lice appear to be seen usually 5 to 12 days after sex. Contact your partner or all your partners with whom you had sex in the last month or so and make sure who is infected. Avoid sex with him or her as long as both of you don’t get treated and rid of pubic lice.
Before sex, make it a good practice of taking a good shower and cleaning your genitals and make your partner do so too. It is better if both of you can shave of or wax your pubic hair and then wash, as it completely removes all possibilities of lice being present.
Comb your Pubic Hairs
Comb your Pubic HairsComb your pubic hair with very fine mesh combs that remove the lice eggs present in the hair.
Avoid Oral Sex
Avoid oral sex as it may lead to serious disease if pubic lice are present. Condoms protect the genitals during sex but not the whole pubic area. So stay out of oral sex as long as you are not sure if your partner is infected or not.
These are all a few preventive measures. If it still remains out of control, contact your physician or a gynaecologist and treat your problem.