Getting Rid Of Scabies

By Leonila Waldron


Scabies, or the seven-year itch as it is known colloquially, is a rather infectious skin condition that's very itchy. It's the result of a mite referred to as Sarcoptes scabiei, a rather tiny and almost invisible parasite with eight legs, which burrows inside a patient's skin and results in extreme allergic itching. Tiny female mites attack people, with their male counterparts being even smaller.

With the help of a magnifying glass or a microscope, you can easily detect the presence of mites. The mites we are talking about can survive quite nicely in 20 C, however, they are not able to actually move around. They also cannot fly or jump, thus, they just crawl. As they try to lay eggs, they suck the host's blood and flesh, causing a crawling sensation which can be painful and disturbing.

Skin-to-skin contact can spread scabies. Scabies is spread, though, via really close contact between persons, so it can't be contracted by hanging one's jacket next to one belonging to someone with scabies, or by simply shaking hands. One form of skin-to-skin contact that could transmit the disease is through sexual physical contact. Scabies, another sexually transmitted disease, is common among young people who are sexually active.

Scabies are found in various places. Not only can they be found in areas easily seen by others like the wrists, back of elbows, knees, and feet, but they can also be found between fingers, on waists, in armpit folds, around nipples, on buttocks, and in the genital area. However, in the cases of infants and young children, scabies appears on the head, face, neck, palms, and the soles of the feet. These mites can interfere with one's daily activities, thus, it is important to get it treated as soon as possible.

Treating scabies with scabicide drugs is the best method. Permethrin and ivermectin are used to treat scabies. Permethrin is said to be the most efficient scabies treatment; it is applied from the neck down and washed off after 8 to 14 hours. Ivermectin, an oral anti-parasitic medication, is recommended to treat crusted scabies.

Other alternate medications that can be used as scabies treatment are lindane, crotamiton, sulfur preparations, and antihistamines. Lindane is like permethrin, which is applied in the same manner, however, it can cause seizure if it is applied in a very irritated or wet skin. Cortamiton, on the other hand, is both a lotion and cream while sulfur prepared in petrolatum is used as a cream and is known to be the most traditional form of scabies treatment. Just the opposite, antihistamines only relieve itching.

The only way this treatment will work is if it is administered to every single infected person so that there is no chance of people reinfecting each other. It is also important to disinfect household items, such as, linens, bedclothes, wardrobe, furniture, rugs, etc. as the mites die quickly without human hosts.




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