# Pubic Lice (Pediculosis pubis) - Category: infectious - Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page) - Sources: Egyptian National Drug Formulary - Antimicrobial 2023, permethrin monograph (chapter PDF p423) · Egyptian National Drug Formulary 2023 — Antimicrobial, Permethrin monograph, Dosing: Pediatric / Pubic lice (antimicrobial-2023.pdf, page index 422, printed p413) · InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Pubic lice: Learn More – How can you get rid of pubic lice? [Updated 2026 Jan 21]. Bookshelf ID: NBK623159. - Verified date: 2026-08 ## Verified against - Egyptian National Drug Formulary 2023 — Antimicrobial, Permethrin monograph, Dosing: Pediatric / Pubic lice (antimicrobial-2023.pdf, page index 422, printed p413) - InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Pubic lice: Learn More – How can you get rid of pubic lice? [Updated 2026 Jan 21]. Bookshelf ID: NBK623159. ## Treatment metadata - Permethrin — topical ## Complete treatment card ```text PUBIC LICE (PEDICULOSIS PUBIS) Sources: Egyptian National Drug Formulary - Antimicrobial 2023, permethrin monograph (chapter PDF p423) · Egyptian National Drug Formulary 2023 — Antimicrobial, Permethrin monograph, Dosing: Pediatric / Pubic lice (antimicrobial-2023.pdf, page index 422, printed p413) · InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Pubic lice: Learn More – How can you get rid of pubic lice? [Updated 2026 Jan 21]. Bookshelf ID: NBK623159. Review status: REVIEWED against 2 sources listed above (2026-08) IS IT THIS? - reference only, to read alongside your own examination SYMPTOMS - what the patient reports (1) - Itch is what brings people in [itching] SIGNS - what you find (7) - Seeing one louse is what confirms it on examination - Finding lice in pubic hair makes the diagnosis and calls for sexual health screening - Bright light, a magnifier or a fine-toothed comb make them easier to spot - Nits alone do not prove live infestation - they cling to hair for months after cure - Nits are oval and stuck fast to the hair shaft - Dandruff, hairspray residue and dirt can be taken for nits - Getting this diagnosis wrong is common TESTS (6) - Mostly this is a bedside diagnosis - Sticky tape lifts adult lice off the area for the microscope - Under a Wood lamp the nits glow greenish-yellow - Lice in pubic hair mean testing for other sexually transmitted infections - Skin scrapings can exclude fungal infection where the diagnosis is in doubt - If one person in the house has lice, examine everyone else there IF NOT THIS - what else fits (4) - Dandruff and seborrhoea can be taken for it - Superficial fungal infection and eczema look much the same - Folliculitis and scabies belong on the list - Itching with crowded living or poor hygiene points instead to body lice Source StatPearls "Pediculosis" - disease-level clinical article Status traced to the source above 1. PERMETHRIN [1st line] Adult Permethrin 1% solution or rinse: apply to the affected area, leave on for 10 minutes, then wash off. The formulary carries this only as an adolescent, limited-data regimen — it gives no adult pubic-lice dose. - Single application; the formulary gives no repeat course for pubic lice Peds The formulary's only pubic-lice entry sits under paediatric dosing, for adolescents, and is flagged as limited data. Pubic lice in a pre-pubertal child is a safeguarding concern and needs assessment, not just treatment. Source Egyptian National Drug Formulary 2023 — Antimicrobial, Permethrin monograph, Dosing: Pediatric / Pubic lice (antimicrobial-2023.pdf, page index 422, printed p413) Why The formulary gives permethrin 1% solution or rinse for pubic lice, applied for 10 minutes and washed off, and notes that the available data are limited. The repeat at 7 to 10 days follows the same monograph's lice guidance, which sets the interval by the life cycle of the louse. Caution The formulary records that the CDC considers permethrin one of the drugs of choice for pubic lice during pregnancy. For external use only. Avoid contact with the eyes and mucous membranes; do not apply inside the nose, ear, mouth or vagina. The 7-to-10-day repeat belongs to the head-lice regimen; the formulary gives no repeat for pubic lice. This is the 1% solution or rinse, NOT the 5% scabies cream - same drug, same patient, different strength (Egyptian National Drug Formulary, permethrin monograph). The formulary records the data for pubic lice as limited. Treat all sexual partners from the last 3 months at the same time, or the patient is reinfected. Pubic lice is a sexually transmitted infection - offer screening for others, including HIV and syphilis. Do not apply to the eyelashes. Lashes are treated with soft paraffin and manual removal, not permethrin. Pubic lice in a pre-pubertal child raises a safeguarding concern and needs assessment. Items that cannot be washed should be sealed in a plastic bag for ≥4 weeks. Egypt NEWCID 1% 60ML SHAMPOO CID 9.00 EGP NEWCID 1% 80ML SHAMPOO CID 11.00 EGP ECTOMETHRIN 2.5 % CREAM 20 GM MISR > APC (A... 12.00 EGP ECTOMETHRIN 5 % CREAM. 20 GM MISR > APC (A... 21.00 EGP ECTOMETHRIN 5% OINT. 20 GM MISR > APC (A... 21.00 EGP Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy. ``` --- Dawaa Reference is a reference for prescribers, not a medical device, and does not replace clinical judgement. [Privacy policy](/privacy)