Is there a cure for pubic lice

Pubic lice can be cured at home. You need insecticidal lotion or cream which is applied once and reapplied after one week.

If insecticidal cream does not destroy pubic lice, the reason might be that they are resistant to this cream, and you should try to eliminate them with a different one. Your physician can recommend the most effective cream for treating pubic lice. Read all the instructions on how to use the lotion carefully.

There are two sorts of creams for destroying pubic lice that people use the most:

(1) Malathion used by everybody who is above six months old

(2) Permethrin used by people who are above 18 years old. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid this cream.

General advice is to take a shower, dry yourself, and then apply the cream. You need to apply it on your whole body, including the scalp, face, neck, and ears. Cover your beard, mustache, and eyebrows. The pubic area is to be covered too. Make sure the cream does not come in touch with your eyes (if it does, you need to rinse your eyes thoroughly with water).

Malathion lotion is usually left overnight, while permethrin 5% cream can be left even longer (about 24 hours). Do not wash the parts that are covered with cream until you are sure that the cream stays on long enough. If, for any reason, you need to wash yourself, apply the cream again. The next treatment will be after a week. You should use the same cream for three weeks at the most.

Three types of lice infest humans, feed on blood, and reproduce on the body: the body louse (Pediculus humanus corporis), the head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis), and the pubic louse (crab louse). Phthiriasis palpebrarum (ciliary phthiriasis), caused by Pthirus pubis, is an uncommon cause of blepharoconjunctivitis; therefore, this condition is easily misdiagnosed. When it occurs, genital involvement must be suspected. We report a case of unilateral phthiriasis palpebrarum accompanied by lice and nits on the eyelashes and one louse on the pubic hairs area together.

A 45-year-old man presented with conjunctival hyperaemia and moderate itching associated with irritation, and crusty excretions of the eyelashes in the left eye.
Careful slit-lamp examination revealed many lice and nits in left eye and mild conjunctival hyperaemia. No abnormality was found in the right eye. On dermatologic examination, only one louse was found at the pubic area.
The patient was treated effectively with petrolatum jelly (Vaseline) and 1% permethrin shampoo (Kwellada 1% shampoo). At the end of the first week no louse or nit was present on eyelashes and pubic area.

✓ Fact confirmed: Treatment of Phthiriasis Palpebrarum and Crab Louse: Petrolatum Jelly and 1% Permethrin Shampoo Yunus Karabela, Gurkan Yardimci, Isik Yildirim, Eray Atalay, and Semsi Nur Karabela; 2015 Sep 15.

If you have lice in the eyebrows, it is better to use eye ointment.

The reason why you need to repeat the treatment after a week is because of lice eggs. Although you probably destroyed all the lice after the first application, lice eggs could have survived and, therefore, need to be destroyed again.

After you have completed two treatments, visit your doctor who will check if all the lice are eliminated. Bear in mind that nits can be still visible on your hair, which is a sign that you need another treatment. Maybe lice became resistant to your cream, and you need to change it.

Other Treatment Creams

Other insecticide creams available are phenothrin or carbaryl.

If you got pubic lice after having sexual intercourse with someone, a good idea would be to check whether you got any other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia.

You need to take care of the health of other people too, therefore, it is advisable to inform all sexual partners in the last three months so that they can treat themselves too on pubic lice even if they do not show any symptoms.

If you feel angry or embarrassed to inform other people about pubic lice treatment, your clinic can provide a so-called contact slip.