Scabies - Symptoms and Treatment
If you've ever been unfortunate
enough to come into contact with a case of scabies, then you know how itchy and
uncomfortable this annoying skin disorder can make you feel. Scabies is a
highly contagious condition that lives in the human body.
They call this small mite a
Sarcoptiform who can survive up to six months without food and reproduce at a
rate of 500 per day. Scabies wrecks havoc on your good moods and makes you feel
depressed, anxious, or just plain uncomfortable.
If you've been exposed to this disease,
then it's necessary to take care of yourself by following through with the
treatments recommended by the doctor because there are many ways for these
parasitic mites to get into your system and make things worse for you.
Scabies
The scabies mite is a parasitic infection transmitted
by skin-to-skin contact. The first symptoms of scabies are itching and a rash
that may appear on the soles of the feet, hands, wrists, elbows, and other
areas.
The rash can also appear on areas of skin that do not
usually itch such as the face, legs, arms, and buttocks.
Although these symptoms can clear up within a few days
or weeks without treatment, you should seek medical attention for this
condition to relieve symptoms and prevent them from spreading to loved ones.
Scabies is also easily transmitted to loved ones who
come into contact with infested bedding or clothing.
Treatment For Scabies
Scratching can make the itching and rash worse. If you
scratch, you may end up with an infection or scars. Scabies rashes that are
scratched can sometimes leave permanent marks. It is best to avoid scratching
altogether.
Treatment of scabies involves creams, lotions, or oral
medication to kill the mites causing scabies.
You can get rid of scabies without seeing a doctor by
washing all your clothing and bedding in hot water and drying them in a hot
dryer for at least 20 minutes on high heat.
You should also wash your hands regularly during this time to avoid reinfection. If you can, follow these steps to avoid getting re-infected:
1. Remove
all the clothes and bedding from your beds.
2. Wash
everything in hot water (120 degrees F (49 degrees C) or above), and dry in the
hot dryer for at least 20 minutes.Also, wash all your clothing and bedding in
hot water with detergent for at least 20 minutes after getting rid of the mites
in your body to prevent reinfections by scabies mites or eggs (nits). The same
procedure should be repeated every week until you no longer have symptoms of
scabies.
3. If
you have a cat or a dog, make sure they are treated by a veterinarian because
these pets can spread scabies to you.
4. Wash
all bedding and clothing in hot water to get rid of any mites and eggs. Also,
wash all articles of clothing and bedding in hot water for at least 20 minutes
after treatment to prevent reinfection.
5. Wash
hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after touching anybody who may be
infested with scabies or just before handling an infected person or animal to
decrease the chance of transferring the disease from one person to another.
What Is Scabies Symptoms?
Scabies symptoms are not very obvious at first. You
will notice that you can't stop scratching your itchy spots.
These symptoms will last for around five days, but the
itching may last up to three weeks before you begin scratching uncontrollably,
and after that, the symptoms will subside.
When the symptoms subside, they may return for another
few days or months after that, but this time you would know that scabies is
back.
Scabies symptoms are usually worse right before a good
weather change because it can be very uncomfortable, but this is just because
of rain and wind mixed with an infestation of scabies mites reproducing in your
skin.
Finally, if you scratch the infected spots for even a
second, they will begin to bleed and itch again.
Some other symptoms may include:
Itching feeling on the bottom of your feet
Sores that look like pimples and feel like pimples
(skin irritation) on your arms and legs (though this is not causation of
scabies) (a sign of a mild allergic reaction). Itchy bumps or rashes can appear
on areas where you didn't have itching before. The rash may be large or small
and there may be patchy spots lighter than the rest of your skin.