Effective remedies and cures for pubic lice

Features of pubic lice

These are small insects - up to 3 mm. Females are noticeably larger than males. They have a flattened oval body that is light brown in color. Three pairs of legs are spread wide, so it seems that the width of the insect is greater than its length. The legs are long and pincer-shaped. The structure allows them to move along triangular hair. They cannot attach to the round hairs that grow on the head, so they do not live on the head.

Like other types of lice, pubic lice go through several stages of development:

• nits – white eggs, inside of which larvae develop; this stage takes up to a week;
• nymphs of stages 1, 2 and 3 – in 15–17 days the parasite goes through three moults and becomes sexually mature;
• adults.

Read more in the article “Incubation period of lice and nits”

Pubic louse lives up to 30 days. During its life it lays about 50 eggs.

Without food, the parasite lives for a day. If unfavorable conditions occur, the pubic louse can fall into a state of suspended animation and spend several months in it. Pubic lice can survive up to two days in water. They can withstand loads of up to 1 kg. For example, on the beach, in the sand, they can exist for several days.

Features and appearance of pubic lice

Pubic lice are the smallest of all. The body length of adult individuals is usually no more than 2 mm. The offspring that emerge from the eggs are also small in size - up to 0.5 mm. These lice live in the pubic area, hence their name. In rare cases, they can colonize eyelashes, eyebrows, and axillary hair.

REFERENCE. The parasite looks like a crab. It always has three pairs of paws.

A pubic louse resembles a dark spot on the body. It has a shorter body and more massive legs than body and head lice. Large growths can be seen on the paws, allowing insects to attach themselves to the hairs.

Another characteristic of pubic lice is that when they bite, they leave small dark purple spots on the skin. But this is difficult to notice with a low degree of infection. Outside the human body, parasites can live no more than two days.

Where can you find pubic lice?

As mentioned above, pubic lice live on the hairy parts of the human body, but do not affect all the hair. They are attracted to areas with apocrine glands that secrete a special secretion:

• pubis;
• crotch;
• anus;
• scrotum;
• armpits.

The affected areas are always covered with hair. These parasites do not live on smooth skin. The disease occurs in both men and women. Children can also become infected with it if they have hair on their genitals.

How can you become infected with phthiriasis?

There are several ways the disease can spread. The most susceptible to this are women and men who lead an antisocial lifestyle and promiscuous sex life, as well as those who do not maintain personal hygiene.

But you can also catch pubic lice through:

• clothes of a sick person;
• towels and bed linen;
• public toilets;
• beaches, solariums;
• baths, saunas, swimming pools, etc.

Even with careful hygiene, no one is protected from infection, so it is important to be careful when visiting public places and communicating with potential carriers of parasites.

Symptoms of phthiriasis

Pubic lice can be seen without the use of special equipment. They are small, but move quite quickly. Nits are very small and are attached at the very base of the hairs, so they can be very difficult to notice.

In addition to a visual examination, you can find out about the presence of phthiriasis by the following symptoms:

• constant itching - it occurs due to the fact that when bitten, the parasite injects a substance under the skin that is an active irritant;
• small blue dots at the bite sites are traces of an injected substance that prevents blood clotting;
• Due to unbearable itching, a person scratches the skin, skin damage appears, including dermatitis and eczema.

When affected by phthiriasis, a person becomes restless and irritable.

Sometimes symptoms appear even with a small number of parasites on the body. They may not be seen due to the fact that they are hidden in matted and thick curls of hair. In this case, you should consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis. The specialist uses the following methods for detecting parasites:

• examination with a Wood's lamp - it allows you to see live nits, which in its fluorescent light look white, and dead ones remain gray;
• examination of the affected areas at multiple magnification using a videodermatoscope;
• Examination of the eyes with a slit lamp to detect nits on the eyelashes.

Symptoms and methods of treating phthiriasis

Phthiriasis has few characteristic symptoms. The main one is itching in the places where the parasites are located. For some people it is insignificant, for others it is unbearably strong. This is due to the fact that when a parasite bites, saliva enters the human blood, and itching is a reaction to it. At night it becomes stronger. The disease also makes itself felt with the following symptoms:

• the appearance of gray-blue spots on the skin;
• small white dots in the hair, indicating the presence of parasite eggs;
• dark brown spots on underwear;
• scratches on the body.

Due to itching, a person may scratch the skin, which leads to redness, irritation, eczema, and also increases the risk of infection. The affected areas of the skin may become rough and begin to peel.
Small spots appear due to minor hemorrhages when parasites suck blood. Their bluish color is due to the destruction of hemoglobin due to the saliva of lice.

Sometimes patients develop an allergic rash . In advanced forms, blisters appear on the affected areas of the skin, and the itching becomes stronger. If lice are on eyelashes, they can cause blepharitis. Hair becomes tangled due to parasites. This is due to the fact that when laying eggs, the parasites secrete a sticky substance, which allows them to attach to the roots of the hairs.

Treatment of the disease should be prescribed by a dermatologist or venereologist . Typically, therapy involves the use of sprays, ointments and other medications. Traditional recipes can also be used, but they need to be agreed with a doctor so as not to harm yourself even more.

ATTENTION! Diagnosis and, if necessary, therapy should also be carried out on the sexual partner - this will make it possible to prevent re-infection.

Why is phthiriasis dangerous?

Skin damaged by scratching is favorable conditions for infections to enter the body. The scratched areas become infected, ulcers and boils appear on them. If left untreated, the infection goes deeper into the lymph system. This can lead to systemic diseases and blood poisoning. Pubic lice, with their saliva, transmit infectious diseases, such as typhoid, from person to person.

Many patients experience allergic reactions. Also, phthiriasis is almost always accompanied by sexually transmitted diseases. It could be chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis. Pubic lice, passing from person to person, carry the causative agents of these diseases in their saliva. This is precisely what causes the most danger of infection with lice pubis.

When a person is very seriously affected and there are a large number of lice, they do not have enough space to live in the groin and armpits. In this case, they can live on eyebrows and eyelashes. When these areas are affected, conjunctivitis, blepharitis and other eye diseases develop.

Ways to combat pubic lice

Getting rid of pubic lice is much easier than getting rid of head or body lice. The most effective way is mechanical. That is, you just need to remove all hair from the affected area so that parasites do not have the opportunity to live on the body. They cannot move on smooth skin. The “fashion” for hair removal in intimate areas over the past few years has significantly reduced the incidence of this disease.

If you are infested with pubic lice, you need to shave or otherwise remove the hair on the infected area. It is better to remove hair from the entire body so as not to leave any opportunity for parasites to survive unfavorable conditions nearby. After hair removal, it is advisable to apply pediculicide to the affected area to destroy nits, which, due to their small size, can be hidden in the skin flakes.

If for some reason it is impossible to use the mechanical method, then you can use folk remedies or special preparations that kill lice and nits.

How to remove pubic lice at home

Currently, doctors have a large selection of medications that help completely eliminate phthiriasis. The basis of medicines is the substance permethrin. Therapy is carried out using aerosols and ointments. Preparations with permethrin have a neurotoxic effect and allow you to get rid of the disease forever.

Treatment for pubic lice at home can be done using inexpensive products. There are a considerable number of methods that help remove parasites quickly without causing side effects. The traditional method of treatment in some cases is the only option to solve the problem, since patients experience allergic reactions to the active substances included in the drug.

Before you begin removing pubic lice, you must be completely familiar with the method. All actions must be performed step by step.

A prerequisite is shaving the hair on the infected area of ​​the body.

During the course of treatment and after its completion, it is necessary to disinfect the patient’s personal belongings with disinfectant preparations. For these purposes, you can use a-par aerosol, which does not change the quality of fabrics. If such a remedy is not available, all things must be boiled. This treatment allows you to clean your laundry from lice and nits.

Instructions for using hellebore water for pubic lice

You can get rid of pubic lice at home using hellebore water - an alcohol solution of hellebore roots. It contains a large number of substances that suppress the proliferation of parasites. The product has the following properties:

• antiseptic;
• bactericidal;
• painkillers;
• antiparasitic.

The instructions included with the drug indicate caution when using. Do not allow the product to enter the digestive tract, as symptoms of poisoning may occur. It is important to prevent hellebore water from penetrating the mucous membranes of the eyes. Prolonged and active use of the solution can lead to the development of tachycardia, vomiting, muscle weakness, dizziness, and skin irritation.

Folk remedies

These are the same products that are used to kill hair or body lice and nits. The affected areas are lubricated with the following means:

• vinegar solution;
• pulp of crushed cranberries;
• Castor oil;
• geranium oil

All these options are quite gentle. They do not cause harm to health, but require long-term use for the effect to occur. If they are severely infested with pubic lice, they are powerless. In addition, you will have to leave the product on the affected areas for some time to work. This is not always convenient or appropriate.

More aggressive options can be used:

• 3% hydrogen peroxide;
• boric or sulfur ointments;
• kerosene.

They must be used with great caution, as these products may be toxic or cause burns to the mucous membranes. In addition, they may not be effective against nits.

Professional products

Phthiriasis should be treated with medication using effective agents that work against lice and nits. These are pediculicides that kill parasites. You can use drugs based on different active ingredients: Medilis-Permifen, Medilis-Bio, Medilis-Malathion or Medilis-Super. They are available in the form of a spray or emulsions. Each drug is accompanied by instructions for use, which must be strictly followed. Most drugs can be used by people who do not have individual intolerance. Some can be used to treat children from 5 years of age. The result will come within a few minutes or hours.

What must be done when treating phthiriasis

Pubic lice can hide not only on a person’s body, but also in his personal belongings. Therefore, during treatment, it is important to treat underwear, clothing, bedding, and towels. It is better to soak all items that can be washed in a pediculicide solution and wash at high temperature, and after drying, carefully iron or treat with a steam generator. Closets where clothes and linen are stored should be washed with a pediculicide solution. It is advisable to treat mattresses and upholstered furniture with a steam cleaner. Since lice can wait out unfavorable times in a state of suspended animation, it is necessary to do a general cleaning and wash all surfaces with an insecticide solution. This will remove insects from the home that could survive the treatment and then return to the human body.

Shampoo for pubic lice

In some cases, the use of shampoos is indicated. The following remedies are popular.

Pedilin (approx. 300 rubles) – Contains two insecticides – malathion and tetramethrin. In view of this, the drug will also act if the lice have lost susceptibility to one of the components. The shampoo is able to destroy pests in 1-2 applications.

Parasitosis (approx. 300 rubles) - A safe drug that can also be used for small children, but it does not always show results from the first use. The set includes a special comb used for combing.

Prevention

Pubic lice can affect anyone, regardless of their lifestyle. To reduce the likelihood of illness, you should take the following measures:

• carefully observe personal hygiene;
• do not engage in sexual contact with strangers;
• do not use other people's bed linen;
• do not wear other people's clothes and underwear;
• do not use other people's towels.

In public places, you should protect yourself as much as possible from lice. For example, you should not sit on the seats in the sauna or in the changing room of the swimming pool without a personal sheet or bedding.

After visiting a place where infection is possible, you must thoroughly wash, wash and iron your clothes with a hot iron. For prevention purposes, it is worth removing hair in intimate areas.

If you suspect a pubic lice infestation, you should consult a doctor and begin treatment, preventing the insect population from increasing many times over. If you start fighting right away, you can get rid of them quickly and without health consequences.

How can you get lice pubis?

You can become infected with phthiriasis in the following ways:

• through sexual intercourse with a patient with this disease;
• in close contact with the patient's skin;
• when using someone else's bed linen, towels, wearing someone else's clothes;
• when visiting public saunas, baths, showers.

If a person becomes infected with pubic lice as a result of sexual intercourse, they will be localized in the pubic area, perineum and around the anus. In case of infection due to household contact, the parasites are found on the eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, and chest.
IMPORTANT! From its original location, a pubic louse can spread to other parts of the body.