Your pubes may itch for a bunch of different reasons. These include unsafe shaving techniques, infections, and chronic conditions like psoriasis or eczema. Sometimes, a home remedy, OTC cream, or simple lifestyle change can help you manage the itching.
Common causes of genital itching include contact dermatitis, jock itch, scabies, yeast infection, and folliculitis. Your healthcare provider can help you determine the cause and point you to the best treatment and prevention strategies.
Share on Pinterest Causes of itchy pubic hair include lice, razor burn, and contact dermatitis. Crabs, the common name for pubic lice, are tiny insects that feed off human blood, holding on to the hair for support. Although it is common for pubic lice to spread via sex, anyone can get them.
Take a warm bath or shower and let the water soak the irritated area. Make sure to moisturize after! Don't pick at the hairs/bumps – this can irritate you skin more and even lead to infection. Avoid shaving until the uncomfortable symptoms go away – your sensitive skin may just need a break!
Allergies or an allergic reaction. Skin irritation from sweating or wearing tight clothing. Skin irritation from personal hygiene products such as soaps, perfumes and detergents. Genital herpes.
STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea often lead to itching, stinging, or burning sensations inside the vagina or penis. However, HPV and herpes also cause small itchy bumps to form on the pubic area. In addition, STD symptoms may “come and go.” So never assume that you're STD-free simply because symptoms have disappeared.
The most common symptom of pubic lice is itchy red spots. The itching is caused by an allergy to the louse saliva or poo. It can take 1 to 3 weeks for itching to develop after the first infestation, and it'll usually be worse at night. Adult pubic lice are tiny – smaller than a match head.
Adult: The adult pubic louse resembles a miniature crab when viewed through a strong magnifying glass. Pubic lice have six legs; their two front legs are very large and look like the pincher claws of a crab. This is how they got the nickname “crabs.” Pubic lice are tan to grayish-white in color.
Your pubic hair region is more sensitive than your armpits and legs. So one reason why you might be hurting down there when the hair starts to grow back is because of razor burn, which can be itchy or painful. Another reason why you might be uncomfortable is because shaving can trigger ingrown hair growth.
You can usually see pubic lice by looking closely, or you may need to use a magnifying glass. Pubic lice are tan or whitish-gray, and they look like tiny crabs. They get darker when they're full of blood. Crab eggs (called nits) on the bottom part of your pubic hairs.
You can pick them off with your fingernails or a fine-toothed comb. Along with using medication, wash or dry clean all of your bedding and towels. Also wash or dry clean any clothing that you wore while you had crabs.
You cannot get rid of pubic lice by washing or shaving, as the lice only need a minimal length of hair on which to lay their eggs. Therefore you do not need to shave your pubic hair. You can treat yourself at home with an insecticidal lotion or cream which is available over the counter from a pharmacy.
To keep the pubic area smooth and hairless, you'll need to shave regularly, even daily. Consider if this is worth the trouble; it may become tedious after four or five weeks.
You're Less Likely To Get Rashes
If you don't shave, those things aren't really a possibility anymore, leaving you and your lady parts in peace. Indeed, Dweck listed infected hair follicles (folliculitis), rashes, and irritation (razor burn) as some of the most common issues she sees from patients who shave.
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.
You may see one or more lice or nits in your pubic hair. The nits look like tiny white dots attached to a hair. They look like dandruff. Dandruff, however, is easily brushed out of the hair.
Lice eggs (nits) are often easier to see than live lice. They look like tiny yellow or white dots attached to the pubic hair, close to the skin. Nits can look like dandruff. But you can't pick them off with your fingernail or brush them away.
Animals cannot get or spread pubic lice. If left untreated, the affected area will continue to itch. Repeated scratching of the infested area can result in other serious skin infections.
They hatch after 7-8 days. Over the next 13 to 17 days the larvae will change skin three times before reaching adulthood. Adult lice live for just under a month. Pubic lice can only survive and reproduce on people.
How soon do symptoms appear after exposure? Some people may not have symptoms, particularly with the first infestation or when the infestation is light. It may take 4-6 weeks for itching to appear the first time a person has head lice.
There is no such thing as a 'normal' amount of pubic hair. This is a personal choice and one that you can make on your own. You shouldn't feel pressure one way or another.
It is just an optical illusion
If you trim or shave your pubic hair often, you may feel that the hair grows back faster than the rest of your body but that is not the case. We simply tend to notice the most hair growth in short hair.