Pubic Lice (Crabs)

Pubic lice are tiny insects that live on your pubic hair (the hair around your genitals). Pubic lice are also called crabs. Lice are a type of parasite because they feed off of human blood to survive.

Pubic lice are different from the lice you may get on your head or body, so you won’t find crabs on your scalp or skin. Conversely, you won’t find head lice in your pubic area. However, pubic lice can live in other parts of your body that have coarse hair, including your:

• Armpits.
• Beard, mustache or other facial hair.
• Chest.
• Eyebrows and eyelashes (more common in children).

Crabs spread from person to person through physical contact. You can get pubic lice anytime your hair comes in contact with another person’s infested hair. Most commonly, this happens during sexual intercourse. In rare instances, you can get it by sharing personal items like towels or sheets with someone who has pubic lice.

Treatment involves applying special creams or shampoos to the affected area, which kills the lice and their eggs. You can buy over-the-counter and get prescription medications.

Are pubic lice an STD?

Pubic lice often get lumped in with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). That’s because people get pubic lice most often during sex. But pubic lice aren’t an actual disease or infection. They can also be passed in nonsexual ways.

Are pubic lice a disease?

Pubic lice don’t carry or spread diseases. So, you can’t get sick from them. But they’re annoying and itchy. You could get a bacterial infection from scratching. When you scratch, you can break your skin. Bacteria can enter your broken skin and cause an infection.

How common are pubic lice?

Pubic lice are very common. Around the world, people of every race and ethnic group have them. Pubic lice are most common in adults. Every year, about 3 million people in the United States get pubic lice.