How To Treat Scabies

What is Scabies? Scabies is a skin condition or problem. This is considered an infection. It is a very highly contagious skin disease. When a person has scabies, they itch very frequently. Also, they have a rash and small bumps on their body. This skin disease is caused by mite. The person normally has an infestation of mites. Scabies is estimated to infect over 300 million humans worldwide a year, 1 million of which occur in the United States. Scabies most frequently occurs among children and young adults. Outbreaks in child care facilities and schools are common.
Mites are very small parasites. They have eight legs. These mites get into the skin. They can cause infections and itching. The mites that infect humans are females. It’s difficult to see mites with just naked eye. You need a microscope or magnifying glass to see scabies mites. Scabies is easy to spread. They spread through close contact as well as sex play. In essence, it spreads though skin contact. The rash and itching normally comes from an allergic reaction to the mites and not the mites themselves. Scabies are very common in the inner city or areas that have a lot of poverty. Scabies take 2-6 weeks to occur after you are first infected. The itch and rash can develop on any part of the skin, away from where the mites are actually burrowing. This means that you are infectious and can spread scabies before you even know you have scabies.
Signs You Are Infected With Scabies Skin Disease
1. Aggravation of pre-existing skin conditions. Scabies can worsen the symptoms of other skin conditions, particularly itchy skin problems such as eczema, or problems such as psoriasis.
2. Rash . The rash usually appears soon after the itch starts. It is typically a blotchy, lumpy red rash that can appear anywhere on the body. The rash is often most obvious on the inside of the thighs, parts of the tummy (abdomen) and buttocks, armpits, and around the nipples in women. The appearance of the rash is often typical.
3. Mite tunnels (burrows). These may be seen on the skin as fine, dark, or silvery lines about 2-10 mm long. They most commonly occur in the loose skin between the fingers (the web spaces), the inner surface of the wrists, and the hands.
4. Itching. This is the main symptom of scabies. This is often severe and tends to be in one place at first (often the hands), and then spreads to other areas. The itch is generally worse at night and after a hot bath. You can itch all over, even with only a few mites, and even in the areas where the mites are not present.
Treating Scabies
Scabies can stay in your skin forever if you don’t get treated. However, scabies are curable. You have to get a prescription for the products below or get a prescription.
1. Melathion liquid- a treatement lotion
2. Permethrin Cream- insecticide that kills the mites. This must be used to kill the mites. A hot bath want work.
3. Clothes, towels, and bed linen should be machine-washed at 50°C or above after the first application of treatment. This kills the scabies mites. Keep any items of clothing that cannot be washed, in plastic bags for at least 72 hours to contain the mites until they die. Alternative options to kill any mites on clothes and linen are ironing the item with a hot iron, dry cleaning, or putting items in a dryer on the hot cycle for 10-30 minutes. It is not necessary to fumigate living areas or furniture, or to treat pets.
4. It is normal to take up to 2-3 weeks (and sometimes up to six weeks) for the itch to go completely after the mites have been killed by treatment
5. Crotamiton Cream or Lotion -has soothing qualities and may help to relieve itch
6. Hydrocortisone Cream -This is a mild steroid cream that may ease any inflammation and help to ease itch. It can be bought from the chemist, or obtained by prescription. It can be applied once or twice per day, for up to a week.