Pubic lice are tiny wingless insects that infect the pubic hair area and lay eggs there. These lice can also be found in armpit hair, eyebrows, mustache, beard, around the anus, and eyelashes (in children).
Pubic lice are also called crabs. These tiny insects live on your pubic hair — the hair below the belly button, around the genitals. Pubic lice rarely live on the scalp, but they can live in other hairy parts of the body, including: Armpits. Beard and mustache.
How you get pubic lice. Pubic lice are mainly spread by close body contact, most commonly sexual contact. The lice cannot jump or fly, but can climb from one person to another. You can also catch the lice from clothes, bedding or towels used by someone with pubic lice, but this is rare.
Head lice and head lice nits are found almost exclusively on the scalp, particularly around and behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head. Head lice or head lice nits sometimes are found on the eyelashes or eyebrows but this is uncommon.
A common misconception is that pubic lice are spread easily by sitting on a toilet seat. This would be extremely rare because lice cannot live long away from a warm human body and they do not have feet designed to hold onto or walk on smooth surfaces such as toilet seats.
The most common way to get pubic lice is through sexual activity. In children, pubic lice may be found in the eyebrows or eyelashes and can be a sign of sexual abuse. However, it may be possible to catch pubic lice after sharing clothing, bedsheets or towels with an infected person.
Check all areas of your child's scalp, especially at the nape of the neck and around the ears; these are favorite spots for lice. Also look for lice feces, that look like tiny black specks on your child's scalp. If you see black specks, care- fully examine the rest of the head for live lice.
Body lice bites can cause intense itching, and you may notice small areas of blood and crust on your skin at the site of the bite marks. See your doctor if improved hygiene doesn't remove the infestation, or if you develop a skin infection from scratching the bites.
Considering the life cycle of lice and nits, it's possible to have live lice on a piece of bedding or pillow for up to 13 days. If a louse is without a host for 1-2 days, it will die. However, it can still lay eggs during that time.
A common misunderstanding is that infestation can be spread by sitting on a toilet seat. This isn't likely, since lice cannot survive away from a warm human body. Also, lice do not have feet designed to walk or hold onto smooth surfaces such as toilet seats.
Body lice are parasitic insects that live on clothing and bedding used by infested persons. Body lice frequently lay their eggs on or near the seams of clothing. Body lice must feed on blood and usually only move to the skin to feed. Body lice exist worldwide and infest people of all races.
Itching on the areas where head lice are present is the most common symptom. However, it may take up to 4 to 6 weeks after lice get on the scalp before the scalp becomes sensitive to the lice saliva and begins to itch. Most of the itching happens behind the ears or at the back of the neck.
Nymphs look like tiny adult body lice and are about the size of a pinhead. Nymphs shed their skin (molt) three times and become adults about 9-12 days after hatching. Adult body lice are tan to grayish-white in color, have six legs, and are about the size of a sesame seed.
Body lice have an oblong shape. They're yellow-gray but may look brownish-red after they have fed. You can also tell the difference between body lice and bed bugs by exploring your clothing and bedding. Body lice live and lay nits in the seams of your clothing.
Getting rid of body lice
Under normal circumstances, body lice can be removed by bathing and changing clothes. Lice and eggs in clothing will die if the clothes are not used. All stages that are not in contact with the body, except the eggs, will die within 1-2 days at ambient temperature.
Using your finger to check for and extract nits (eggs, each of which houses a baby louse) is an integral part of a lice check and can be helpful when treating an infestation. You can actually feel the nits stuck to the hair shaft; each one will feel like a bump on the hair.
Vinegar contains properties that kill and get rid of nits and lice. This mixture should be applied directly to the whole scalp. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of warm water. Next, distribute this mixture onto the scalp and cover your hair with a hair cap.
Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look a bit like dandruff, but aren't removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless a child has many head lice, it's more common to see nits in the hair than live lice crawling on the scalp.
The peak season for lice infestation is August through October and again in January. Head lice are tiny parasitic insects that feed on human blood. Lice come in three forms: nits (eggs), nymphs (baby lice), and adults. Nits are white or yellowish-brown and about the size of a poppy seed.
The most common symptom of head lice is itching on the scalp, neck and ears. This is an allergic reaction to louse bites. When a person has head lice for the first time, itching may not occur for 4 to 6 weeks.
They're Easy to Spot
Although lice and their nits are small, you can see them with the naked eye. They can be white, brown, or dark gray. You're more likely to find them in the hair at the back of your neck or behind your ears. The nits are round or oval specks that are tightly stuck to hairs near the scalp.
Feces — Look for lice feces on the scalp, which are tiny black specks.
After the first treatment, when the egg-laying lice are eliminated, you are no longer contagious. To stop the cycle of lice you must stop the egg laying first, then remove the nits. Timing is everything and you must complete the 3 well-timed treatments to ensure you are lice-free.
Pubic lice, also known as crabs, are tiny insects (about 2mm long) that live on coarse human body hair, such as pubic hair. Pubic lice are not linked to poor personal hygiene.