- Pubic lice are little insects in your pubic hair. Or the hair around you anus
- They can also be in your armpit hair, eyelashes or beard
- Another name for pubic lice is crabs
- You get them through sex. Or from sheets, a towel or clothing
- Often, you can see them yourself
- You can use a cream, then the crabs will die
Symptoms
You can easily see pubic lice. They look like tiny crabs. They are one to three millimeters big.
Symptoms you may have:
- Itching
- Small wounds or sensitive skin due to crabs
- White or yellow specks in your pubic hair: these are the eggs they lay
- Grayish-blue spots on your skin: those are lice bites
- Red or brown spots in your underwear: that is lice poop
Take an STI test
Do you think you have pubic lice? If so, you might have other STIs. Get an STI test at the municipal health service (GGD) or at your doctor's office. Then you will know for sure whether you have an STI. And you will get medicine for it right away.
Treatment
Do you have pubic lice? You can get a cream from the drugstore. You don’t have to go to the doctor.
You can apply the cream yourself. Are you in a relationship or do you have roommates? Have them use the cream too.
Tell people you had sex with in the past two months that you have pubic lice. They can check whether they have pubic lice and treat it quickly.
Read what you can do to get rid of pubic lice at thuisarts.nl (Dutch only)
Working if you have pubic lice
Yes. You can go back to work pretty quickly. It’s best to not have sex on the day you use the cream. After that, you can have sex again.
Are you going back to work? Make sure there are no pubic lice in your bed or on your clothes:
- Wash you clothes and sheets at 60 C.
- Put your mattress and pillow outdoors
- Do you have clothes you can’t wash? Keep them in a closed plastic bag for three days
Get three free Hepatitis B vaccinations
You can catch Hepatitis B by having sex. Especially if you don’t use a condom. You can get very sick from it. Get vaccinated for free at the municipal health service (GGD). That way, you won’t catch this STI.
