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Scabies is an itchy skin ailment caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, a small burrowing mite. Itching is severe in the area where the mite burrows. The need to itch may be particularly acute at night.
Scabies is contagious and can spread swiftly in a family, child care group, school class, nursing home, or prison through close physical contact. Because scabies is extremely contagious, doctors frequently urge that entire families or contact groups be treated.
Scabies are easily treatable. Scabies mites and their eggs are killed by medications applied to the skin. However, you may experience irritation for several weeks after therapy.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SCABIES?
Scabies symptoms and signs include:
- Itching, which is frequently severe and is usually worst at night
- Tiny blisters or lumps on your skin form thin, irregular burrow tracks.
Burrows or tracks are frequently found in skin creases. Though scabies can affect practically any portion of the body, it is most commonly observed in adults and older children:
- Between the fingers
- Under the armpits
- The area around the waist
- The insides of the wrists
- On the inside of the elbows
- On the bottoms of the feet
- Around the breasts
- Around the genital area of men
- Around the buttocks
- On the knees
Common locations of infestation in newborns and young children include:
- Scalp
- palms
- The soles of the feet
If you've previously had scabies, signs and symptoms may appear within a few days of exposure. If you've never had scabies, it can take up to six weeks for symptoms to appear. Even if you don't have any signs or symptoms, you might still spread scabies.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF SCABIES?
Scabies is caused by an eight-legged mite that is tiny. The female mite digs just beneath your skin, creating a tunnel through which it lays her eggs.
The eggs hatch, and the mite larvae crawl to the surface of your skin, where they mature and can spread to other parts of your skin or other people's skin. Scabies itching is caused by your body's allergic reaction to mites, their eggs, and their excrement.
Close personal contact with an infected person, as well as the sharing of clothing or bedding, can spread the mites.
Animals and people are both afflicted by different species of mites. Each species has a favored host and does not dwell far away from that preferred host.
Contact with the animal scabies mite may cause a transient cutaneous reaction in humans. However, unlike the human scabies mite, people are unlikely to develop full-blown scabies from this source.
WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS OF SCABIES?
Scratching too hard might tear your skin and allow a secondary bacterial illness, such as impetigo, to develop. Impetigo is a superficial skin infection caused by staph (staphylococci) bacteria or, less frequently, strep (streptococci) bacteria.
Crusted scabies, a more severe form of scabies, may affect certain high-risk groups, including:
- People suffering from chronic illnesses that weaken the immune system, such as HIV or chronic leukemia
- People who are critically ill, such as those in hospitals or nursing homes
- People in nursing homes who are elderly
Crusted scabies, also known as Norwegian scabies, causes crusty and scaly skin and affects significant portions of the body. It is very contagious and can be difficult to treat.
Typically, a person with scabies has 10 to 15 mites. A person with crusted scabies, on the other hand, may be infested with millions of mites.
HOW IS SCABIES DIAGNOSED?
Your doctor will inspect your skin for evidence of mites, such as the typical burrows, to diagnose scabies. When your doctor discovers a mite burrow, he or she may take a skin scraping to examine under a microscope. The existence of mites or their eggs can be determined via a microscopic inspection.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS FOR SCABIES?
Scabies therapy entails using drugs to eradicate the infestation. A doctor's prescription is required for some creams and lotions.
Your doctor will most likely instruct you to apply the drug to your entire body, from the neck down, and to leave it on for at least eight to ten hours. Some treatments necessitate a second application, and others must be repeated if new burrows or a rash occur.
Because scabies is highly contagious, your doctor will almost certainly advise you to treat all household members and other close contacts, even if they show no signs of scabies infection.
Scabies medications that are regularly prescribed include:
- Permethrin cream: Permethrin is a topical cream containing chemicals that destroy scabies mites and eggs. Adults, pregnant women, and children 2 months and older are generally regarded safe.
- Ivermectin (Stromectol): Doctors may administer this oral drug to patients with compromised immune systems, those with crusted scabies, or those who do not respond to prescribed lotions and treatments. Ivermectin is not suggested for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for children weighing less than 33 pounds (15 kilograms).
- Crotamiton (Crotan, Eurax): This drug is offered in the form of a cream or a lotion. It is used once every day for two days. This medication's safety has not been verified in children, individuals 65 and older, or pregnant or nursing women. Crotamiton has been linked to a high rate of treatment failure.
Although these drugs kill the mites quickly, you may notice that the itching continues for several weeks.
For those who do not respond to or cannot utilize these treatments, doctors may prescribe alternative topical medications, such as sulfur mixed in petrolatum.
HOME REMEDIES FOR SCABIES
Itching may continue for some time after you apply mite-killing medication. These steps may help you get rid of itching:
- Allow your skin to cool and soak: Itching can be reduced by soaking in cool water or taking an oatmeal bath, or by using a cool, moist washcloth to irritating regions of your skin.
- Use a soothing lotion: Calamine lotion, which is accessible without a prescription, can successfully treat small skin irritations' pain and itching.
- Take antihistamines as directed: Over-the-counter antihistamines may reduce the allergic symptoms produced by scabies if prescribed by your doctor.
HOW CAN SCABIES BE PREVENTED?
Take the following precautions to avoid re-infestation and the spread of mites to other people:
- Clean all of your clothes and linens: Wash any clothing, towels, and bedding used within three days after starting treatment in hot, soapy water. High heat is used to dry. Items that cannot be washed at home should be dry-cleaned.
- Mites must be starved: Consider putting stuff you can't wash in a sealed plastic bag and storing it somewhere out of the way, like your garage, for a couple of weeks. Mites die after a few days of not eating.