WHAT ARE CRABS / PUBIC LICE ?
Measuring in at about a millimetre tall, pubic lice (phthirus pubis) are tiny crab-like insects that nest in pubic hair. They bury their heads into the skin and live off human blood, laying their egg sacks (nits) near the base of the pubic hairs. A substance they secrete into the skin can cause intense itching, and the bites of adult lice turn small patches of skin to a bluish-grey colour. Unlike head lice, pubic lice have small, wide bodies and arms that resemble crabs. These lice can also be found in chest, armpit and facial hair, eyebrows and eyelashes.
