By Dr. Sarah Asch, American Academy of Pediatrics
Scabies is an itchy rash caused by the human itch mite. Adults, children and babies can all get scabies. Many people believe scabies is about cleanliness, but that is not true. It is easily passed between people living closely with other people. Let’s discuss how scabies makes you itchy and how to get rid of scabies safely.
The human itch mite is microscopic in size. It can burrow into the very top layer of the skin (not any deeper), where it can lay eggs and eat. The mites are so tiny, there is no way to see them by looking with your eyes before the scabies rash starts. After a few days or weeks, an itchy rash develops in reaction to the mites.
Scabies rash looks different at different ages. Babies and toddlers, very elderly people or people with weakened immune systems can have a rash all over the body. In older children and adults, the rash is mostly on the hands, feet, armpits, belly button and genitals. It can look like hives (welts), pimples (pus bumps), blisters (tiny areas of fluid filled skin) or crusty bumps. But some people do not react with rash at all. It is very common to have one or two people with a rash in the house, but everyone at home is exposed and needs to be treated.
Scabies is diagnosed by looking carefully at the skin. The pattern of the rash, along with the story of when it started and who else is itchy, is usually enough for diagnosis. Sometimes your doctor may perform a skin scraping to look for the mite or other clues under the microscope.
To get rid of scabies, you have to treat the people and the environment you live in all at the same time. All the people who come into regular contact need to be treated. This means everyone who lives with you, and regular visitors such as babysitters and grandparents.
How you apply the treatment cream for scabies makes a big difference.
Permethrin 5% cream is the most commonly used medicine to treat scabies in adults, children and infants. In…
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