Tag Archives: Skin infection

What causes scabies?

Scabies is a contagious skin infestation that can affect humans, it is caused by mite, a minuscule parasitic insect belonging to the subclass Acarina (also known as Acari). Scabies mite lives on human and can only survive for up to 48 hours away from human skin. Scabies can affect normal skin as the mites burrow through the protective layer.

The female mite makes little tunnels under the skin to lay her eggs, which hatch between three or four days later. The larvae then move to the surface of the skin and become fully-grown within two weeks. The cycle is then repeated as the new females dig into the skin to lay their eggs.

Scabies is very infectious and can spread by having a close contact with someone infected, like touching or in contact with clothes, bedding and upholstery material, as mites get attached to them. It can also be transmitted before it starts itching, without the person realising.

What are the symptoms of scabies?

Scabies is an infestation of the skin rather than an infection, but the symptoms can be similar to those of an infection. The tiny mites create burrows into the skin, which causes a rash consisting of small scaly track-like swellings as the mite moves around making the skin feel very itchy.

Scabies tend to locate in the areas of the body where two skin surfaces come together. The most common affected areas include under the armpits, fingers and toes, genital area and low abdominal region. In young children it can also affect the head and neck and in babies it can affect the soles of the feet.

The rashes can become infected looking red and inflamed, occasionally containing yellow pus-filled spots. Sometimes the itchy may not start until six weeks after the infestation has occurred, the skin then becomes extremely itchy, especially at night.  By scratching the skin, it can become inflamed and the affect area can bleed, sometimes this can thicken the skin making it look like eczema.

Treatment for scabies:

Scabies does not go away by itself, no matter how much you wash the skin. You need to use an insecticide specially designed to treat scabies, either as a liquid or cream, to kill the mites and the eggs. You need to treat the whole family at the same time and change bedding regularly to make sure the whole house is disinfected to avoid reoccurrence as mites can live for up to 48 hours away from human skin.

Treatment includes lotions containing benzyl benzoate, crotamiton, malathion or permethrin, which should be applied on the whole body, including soles of the feet, hands and under the fingernails and toenails, with the exception of the head (unless this areas has also being infected, in which case a thin layer should be applied carefully, avoiding the eyes and mouth). If part of the skin is raw from scratching, the water-based lotion may irritate less the skin then the alcohol-based ones.

Applying calamine lotion or taking anti-histamine tablets can also help to relieve the itching. To soothe the skin you can use an anti-itching cream like crotamiton, as it help to ease the itching and kills off any remaining mites.

The itching can continue for three to six weeks after the treatment is completed even though the mites and eggs are dead, this is due to an allergic reaction to the mites. The marks on the skin can remain for as long as three months. If you think you or someone in your family have scabies see your doctor to confirm the diagnosis.