FREEtelehealth consult with Medicare (bulk-billed)
A Specialist GP sorts pubic lice over a quick, discreet phone call. They confirm what’s going on, arrange the right anti-lice treatment, advise on partners and washing, and can organise a full STI check at the same time. Pubic lice are common, harmless and easily treated — and nothing to do with hygiene.
Book a telehealth consult — free with Medicare (bulk-billed)
A Specialist GP confirms it and arranges your treatment
Partner advice and an optional STI screen sorted in the same consult
Pubic lice are tiny insects that live in coarse body hair and feed on blood, causing itching. They’re commonly called “crabs” because, under close inspection, they have a broad, crab-like shape with claw-like legs that grip onto thick hairs. They mainly live in pubic hair, but can also be found in other coarse body hair such as the armpits, chest, abdomen, beard and, occasionally, the eyelashes and eyebrows.
Pubic lice are very common, harmless, and — importantly — not a sign of poor hygiene. Anyone can get them; they simply need coarse hair and close contact to spread. While they’re itchy and a nuisance, they don’t carry disease and are straightforward to treat.
What pubic lice look like
Knowing what pubic lice look like helps you recognise them. There are three things to look for:
The lice themselves — very small (about 1–2 mm), greyish-brown, and broad or crab-shaped. They’re hard to spot as they cling to the base of hairs, but visible on close inspection, sometimes with a magnifying glass.
The eggs (nits) — tiny, pale or yellowish-white specks firmly attached to the base of hairs, a bit like very small grains.
Signs of their presence — small bluish spots on the skin where they’ve bitten, tiny specks of blood, or dark, powdery droppings in your underwear.
If you can see small insects or eggs in the pubic hair, along with itching, pubic lice are the likely explanation. If you’re unsure, it’s worth having it checked.
Symptoms, How You Get Them, and STI Status
The main symptom of pubic lice is itching in the affected area — often worse at night — which is caused by an allergic reaction to the lice bites. It can take a week or two after you first get them for the itching to start, so you may have had them a little while before you notice. Other pubic lice symptoms include:
Visible lice or eggs in the hair.
Small bluish spots or tiny specks of blood on the skin from bites.
Dark, powdery droppings in your underwear.
Mild irritation or inflammation, sometimes made worse by scratching.
The itching is usually the thing that prompts people to look closely and find the lice.
How you get pubic lice
Pubic lice spread mainly through close body contact, especially sexual contact, when lice move from one person’s hair to another’s. Less commonly, they can spread via shared bedding, towels or clothing, though lice don’t survive long away from the body, so this is a much less common route. They can’t jump or fly — they crawl — so close contact is what’s needed. Because sexual contact is the main way they spread, they’re considered a sexually transmitted infection, though not one caused by bacteria or a virus.
Are pubic lice an STI?
Yes, in the sense that they’re most often passed on through sexual contact, which places them among the sexually transmitted infections. They’re harmless in themselves and don’t cause disease, but because they spread this way, having pubic lice is a reasonable prompt to think about your wider sexual health.
If you’ve been diagnosed with pubic lice, it’s worth considering a full STI check at the same time — not because pubic lice are dangerous, but because they’re a marker of sexual contact, and it’s sensible to check for other, often silent, infections while you’re being seen. A clinician can arrange both together.
How Pubic Lice Are Diagnosed and Treated
Pubic lice are diagnosed simply by finding the lice or their eggs in the hair, either with the naked eye or using magnification. A clinician can confirm it quickly, and there’s no need for blood tests or swabs to diagnose the lice themselves. If you’ve spotted something you think might be lice or eggs, that’s usually enough to start treatment — and a clinician can confirm it and check nothing else is going on.
Pubic lice treatment
Pubic lice are easily treated with a topical anti-lice treatment — an insecticide lotion or cream applied to the affected areas, arranged with a clinician. The key points to getting rid of them are:
Apply the treatment to all affected areas — not just the pubic hair, but any other coarse body hair involved (armpits, chest, abdomen, beard, and so on), following the instructions carefully.
Repeat the treatment after about a week. This is important — a second application catches any lice that hatch from eggs after the first treatment, which is a common reason lice seem to come back.
You don’t need to shave the hair off to get rid of pubic lice — the treatment does the work.
Treat everyone affected at the same time to avoid passing them back and forth.
The itching may take a little while to settle even after successful treatment, as the skin’s reaction calms down. If you’re still finding live lice after completing two rounds of treatment, see a clinician.
Partners, bedding and clothes
To clear pubic lice properly and stop them coming back:
Treat sexual partners and any close household contacts at the same time, and avoid close body and sexual contact until everyone has been treated.
Wash bedding, towels and recently worn clothing on a hot cycle, or seal items that can’t be washed in a plastic bag for a couple of weeks.
There’s no need to fumigate your home or go to extreme lengths — pubic lice don’t survive long away from the body.
Eyelashes, Other Areas and Prevention
Occasionally pubic lice affect the eyelashes or eyebrows. This area needs a different, gentler approach — the standard lotions used elsewhere should not be put near the eyes — so eyelash involvement should be assessed and managed by a clinician rather than self-treated. If you notice lice or eggs on the eyelashes or eyebrows, see a doctor for advice.
Preventing pubic lice
Pubic lice can be hard to avoid entirely since they spread through close contact, but a few things help: avoid close body and sexual contact with someone who has untreated pubic lice, don’t share bedding, towels or clothing with someone affected, and if you or a partner is diagnosed, treat everyone involved at the same time to prevent reinfestation. Regular sexual health checks help pick up this and other infections early.
When to See a Doctor About Pubic Lice
See a clinician if you’re not sure whether you have pubic lice, if they don’t clear after two proper rounds of treatment, if the skin becomes very inflamed or looks infected from scratching, if the eyelashes or eyebrows are affected, or if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and need advice on suitable treatment. It’s also a good opportunity to arrange a broader STI check.
If you’d like pubic lice assessed or treated, booking is quick and care is confidential and judgement-free.
Frequently asked questions
Pubic lice are tiny insects that live in coarse body hair and feed on blood, causing itching. They’re called crabs because of their broad, crab-like shape with claw-like legs. They mainly live in pubic hair but can affect other coarse hair too. They’re common, harmless, not a sign of poor hygiene, don’t carry disease, and are easily treated.
Look for three things: the lice themselves (very small, about 1 to 2 mm, greyish-brown and crab-shaped, clinging to the base of hairs); the eggs or nits (tiny pale specks firmly attached to hair bases); and signs of their presence (small bluish spots or specks of blood on the skin, and dark powdery droppings in underwear). Seeing lice or eggs plus itching points to pubic lice.
The main symptom is itching in the affected area, often worse at night, caused by an allergic reaction to the bites. It can take a week or two after getting them for itching to start. Other symptoms include visible lice or eggs, small bluish spots or specks of blood on the skin, dark droppings in underwear, and mild irritation, sometimes worse from scratching.
Pubic lice spread mainly through close body contact, especially sexual contact, when lice move from one person’s hair to another’s. Less commonly they spread via shared bedding, towels or clothing, though they don’t survive long off the body so this is uncommon. They can’t jump or fly — they crawl — so close contact is what’s needed to pass them on.
Yes, in the sense that they’re most often passed on through sexual contact, placing them among the sexually transmitted infections — though not one caused by bacteria or a virus. They’re harmless in themselves, but because they spread this way, having pubic lice is a sensible prompt to consider a full STI check for other, often silent, infections while you’re being seen.
No. Pubic lice have nothing to do with hygiene or cleanliness — anyone can get them, as they simply need coarse hair and close contact to spread. Washing more won’t get rid of them, and having them isn’t a reflection on you. They’re common and treatable, and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed about seeking treatment.
With a topical anti-lice treatment — an insecticide lotion or cream applied to all affected areas, arranged with a clinician. Apply it as directed, then repeat after about a week to catch newly hatched lice (a common reason they seem to return). You don’t need to shave. Treat everyone affected at the same time to avoid passing them back and forth.
No. Shaving isn’t necessary to get rid of pubic lice — the anti-lice treatment does the work, clearing both lice and eggs when used correctly and repeated after a week. Shaving alone won’t reliably remove them either, since eggs are attached firmly to hairs. So there’s no need to shave; just follow the treatment instructions and repeat as directed.
Yes. Treat sexual partners and any close household contacts at the same time, and avoid close body and sexual contact until everyone has been treated — otherwise lice can simply be passed back and forth. Treating everyone together is the key to clearing them properly and preventing reinfestation. A partner should be treated even if they haven’t noticed symptoms yet.
Wash bedding, towels and recently worn clothing on a hot cycle, or seal items that can’t be washed in a plastic bag for a couple of weeks. There’s no need to fumigate your home or go to extreme lengths — pubic lice don’t survive long away from the body, so a normal hot wash of relevant items alongside treating everyone affected is enough.
No — they’re a different type of louse. Pubic lice live in coarse body hair and are spread mainly by close body contact, while head lice live on the scalp and are common in children. Having one doesn’t mean you have the other, and they’re treated as separate things. Pubic lice generally don’t live in scalp hair.
Occasionally, yes. Pubic lice can affect the eyelashes or eyebrows, and this area needs a different, gentler approach — the standard lotions used elsewhere should not be put near the eyes. So eyelash involvement should be assessed and managed by a clinician rather than self-treated. If you notice lice or eggs on the eyelashes or eyebrows, see a doctor for advice.
See a clinician if you’re unsure whether you have pubic lice, if they don’t clear after two proper rounds of treatment, if the skin becomes very inflamed or looks infected from scratching, if the eyelashes or eyebrows are affected, or if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and need advice on suitable treatment. It’s also a good opportunity to arrange a broader STI check.
