Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Getting Rid Of Scabies

By Loren Saxton


A rather easily spread skin condition that causes itching in a person's skin is referred to as scabies, and sometimes known as the 7 year itch. It's from a mite referred to as Sarcoptes scabiei, a very small and almost invisible parasite with eight legs, that delves in a person's skin and results in severe allergic itching. Tiny female mites feed on you and me, with their male versions being even smaller.

The mites can be visible with the use of magnifying glass or microscope. 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 cannot be transmitted by shaking hands, or hanging a coat next to an infected owner due to its need for very close human contact interaction. Sexual contact is one way a disease such as this is passed on. Because scabies is commonly found among sexually active youths, it is usually thought of as a sexually transmitted disease.

The parts of the body where scabies can be found are on your knees, waist, wrists, buttocks, feet genital area, area around nipples, back of the elbows, and between your fingers. Scabies appear on the head, face, neck, palms and soles of the feet of infants and young children. These mites can interfere with one's daily activities, thus, it is important to get it treated as soon as possible.

A convenient method of scabies treatment is scabicide drugs. Scabies treatment involves the use of permethrin and ivermectin. One of the most efficient scabies treatments is Permethrin, which is applied from the neck down and washed off after 8 to 14 hours. Alternately, a treatment for crusted scabies is ivermectin- an oral anti-parasitic medicine.

Other scabies treatments include 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. Although you can treat scabies in the most traditional way by using a cream ( sulfur mixed in petrolatum ), try using cortamiton, because it is both a lotion and a cream. Antihistamines just relieves the itching.

These treatments would be ineffective if only one person is treated, as every infected person in the community should be treated to avoid re-infection. 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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