Though it’s a popular choice among many men and women to remove their public hair, pubic lice remains an issue, particularly for one group of people, i.e., Tinder users with pubic hair.
Public lice or crab lice are parasitic insects that live in the genital area of humans and feed on human blood.
They’re usually a result of poor hygiene. When people have a public lice infestation, they’ll experience irritated skin with raised, red lumps and itchiness.
These lice can also transmit bacterial illnesses such as epidemic typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne recurring fever.
The Several Forms of Public Lice
- Adult lice
These lice look like miniature crabs when looked through a magnifier. They’re grayish-white and have six legs. Their larger front legs look like the claws of crabs.
- Nymphs
These immature lice hatch from the nit and they need around two weeks to transform into adults.
- Lice eggs
The eggs have an oval shape and a yellow to white color. They’re not easy to see because they’re attached to the shaft of the hair.
The Link between Pubic Lice & Tinder Users
According to an article from 2016, Dr. Cameron Webb, a scientist from the medical entomology department at the University of Sydney, according to estimates, pubic lice infestation rates in adults are around one to two percent.
However, the rates may be higher in older people, particularly in men and men who have intimate relationships with men. So, this means that around 750,000 users on Tinder may have lice!
In fact, the chances of hooking up with a person on Tinder who has pubic lice are higher than you may think. With this in mind, it may be smarter and safer to think twice before swiping.
Pubic lice don’t jump or fly; they actually move from host to host via direct contact. In most cases, this is through sexual contact.
This movement happens when the lice change strands. Unlike other STIs, condoms don’t prevent lice migration.
The key to staying safe is to maintain optimal hygiene; however, this may not offer 100 percent protection from lice. Also, total hair removal may help because the lice need hair strands to live on.
How Are Pubic Lice Treated?
When diagnosed with public lice, you will get a prescribed medical insecticide, usually in cream form. All the hair should be removed so that the lice are removed as well.
When someone has pubic lice, they may also have other STDs so it’s recommendable to get tested.
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