Scabies is a dermatological disease caused by the scabies mite. You can become infected with scabies through contact with a sick person, by using common household items, or by interacting with domestic or street animals.
When it comes into contact with the skin, the parasite begins to gnaw out grooves in the upper layer of the dermis and lay eggs in them, from which larvae quickly emerge, and the development of the disease increases.
For the treatment of scabies, medications and folk remedies are used, the latter are used for early detection of the disease and its mild course.
Possible routes of infection
Scabies is transmitted from person to person, so you can catch this contagious disease:
- Through direct contact with the pathogen . Often, children in kindergartens become infected using this method.
- By contact and household means - through dishes, linen, towels, toys, etc. Although at present this method of transmitting a tick is controversial, because in order for a tick to get on the skin through an object, a person needs to hold the thing in hands for at least half an hour (the parasite moves slowly, so it needs time to move).
- Sexually - when the skin of partners touches during sexual intercourse, the parasite can easily enter the body of an uninfected person.
Infection with scabies through common objects is possible only in case of prolonged contact with the item.
Causes of scabies: scabies mite in humans, photo
The reasons for the high incidence of scabies are factors such as poor personal hygiene, promiscuity, population migration, and deteriorating material conditions. Also in recent years, the number of low-symptomatic (erased) forms has increased. This is caused by the widespread use of ointments, creams with steroid hormones, antihistamines, and contact with chemicals. These are common causes of scabies in modern humans.
Scabies is caused by the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei. The scabies mite in humans is an obligate (permanent) parasite, the characteristic feature of which is transmission only from person to person. Ticks spend most of their lives in the skin of the host (females) and only during a short period of settlement they lead an ecto-parasitic lifestyle (males) on the surface of the skin. S. scabiei parasitizes the superficial layers of the skin, but with a complicated course it can also affect deeper layers.
We offer a photo of a scabies mite:
Is the disease transmitted from animals?
Many lovers of furry pets know that they can also suffer from mange. Therefore, a logical question arises: “Can you get scabies from a cat or dog?”
It turns out that you can't. The fact is that the causative agents of this parasitic disease are different in humans and their four-legged friend .
Even if a tick gets on the host’s skin, it will soon die because it will not be adapted to life on the human body.
There is only one way to transmit itching from a cat: if an infected person pets the animal, the tick can temporarily move to his body. If a healthy person pets the cat soon, the itching may migrate to him.
There can be no other options for transmitting a tick from an animal to a person.
Scabies. Why can't I sleep at night?
Case history of scabies
The history of scabies dates back to ancient times. Scabies is the most common parasitic skin disease. Scabies was known 4000 years ago in China, Ancient Babylon, Egypt, and Assyria. Aristotle O. In 1687, the Italian physician Giovanni Cosimo Bonomo and the pharmacist Diacinto Cestoni first described the connection between scabies mites and the typical skin symptoms that develop following infection. It was they who established that the disease could be caused by a microscopic organism.
How quickly do scabies symptoms begin to appear after infection?
The incubation period is quite long and ranges from 4 to 6 weeks . That is, a person can live peacefully for a whole month and not even think about the fact that a tick lives under his skin.
Why such a long incubation period, you ask? The fact is that itching and inflammation on the skin does not appear from the destructive action of parasites, but from attempts by the immune system to eliminate the “enemy”.
When we are first infected with a tick, our immune system takes a very long time to recognize the enemy, and only after a few weeks does it begin to react.
Re-infection with scabies
As a rule, scabies does not recur. The reasons for the recurrence of scabies include:
- re-infection from untreated contact persons;
- undertreatment of a patient with scabies due to non-compliance with treatment regimens;
- partial treatment of the skin;
- reducing the duration of therapy.
For children, schoolchildren, soldiers, etc. It is advisable to ensure a 10-day quarantine. After 2 weeks, it is recommended to see a doctor again to decide whether a second course of treatment is necessary.
Signs of the disease
If you have never encountered this problem before, then you do not know what scabies looks like in humans.
The main symptoms of the disease are as follows:
- Itching, increasing in the evening . In the evening, the mites wake up and begin to dig, which is why the patient feels itching at night.
- Rashes on the body . Red dotted nodules appear, subsequently they merge, turning into bubbles. The scabies rash is localized in the armpits, genitals, nipples, abdomen, chest, feet, shoulders, buttocks, and under the knees. In adults, a rash does not appear on the face, but in children it does occur.
- Pustules on the skin are a sign of a secondary infection.
Knowing now how scabies manifests itself, you can move on to the next stage - treatment of the disease.
How to distinguish scabies from dermatitis, allergies, psoriasis, eczema, lichen, lice pubis
Treatment options
As a rule, medications that can cure scabies are divided into 4 categories:
- preparations based on sulfur;
- synthetically based drugs;
- creams, insecticides intended to suppress skin parasites;
- ethnoscience.
Every sick person should understand that a disease of this kind does not go away without specific treatment. Symptoms may subside for a while, and then reappear with greater force. To cope with scabies, suppressing parasites and their eggs, it will be enough to use general therapy.
Many people prefer sulfur ointment or preparations that contain tar. The product is evenly applied to the body, paying special attention to the places where parasites are most concentrated - the area between the fingers, the stomach, and the elbow area.
Treatment methods: how to get rid of scabies? Drugs that kill ticks
The arsenal of treatments for this skin disease is very large. These can be various ointments, sprays, liquids, traditional medicine.
Let's look at the most popular and effective methods of treating scabies.
Spray Spregal
This aerosol contains neurotoxic poisons that kill parasites. The drug is effective after the first use.
Simply spray the product onto clean, dry skin before bed. Pay attention to the area between the fingers, in the perineum, and armpits. After 12 hours, that is, take a shower in the morning and wipe your body dry. Repeat the procedure for another 3 days.
Spregal spray can treat scabies in children and adults . It is prohibited to use the drug in relation to nursing mothers; Pregnant women should use the aerosol very carefully.
The price of Spregal aerosol is on average 900 rubles per bottle.
No matter how much you would like to, it is not possible to cure scabies in one day. The fact is that the eggs that the tick lays mature within 3 days.
Therefore, even if a person kills the tick itself in one day, then after a few days he will have to destroy several parasites. The standard treatment course should be at least 3 days.
Benzyl benzoate product
This is another popular and effective medicine for parasites. It is produced in the form of an emulsion or ointment.
The medicine has a specific smell, but this is its only drawback. The product has a detrimental effect on the tick within half an hour.
The drug can be used to treat scabies in children over 3 years of age (medicine concentration 10%), as well as adults (20% emulsion).
Before starting to use the emulsion, the patient needs to take a shower, thoroughly walk over the body with a soapy washcloth to remove parasites from the surface of the dermis and loosen the epidermis in order to facilitate the penetration of the drug.
Then pour the emulsion onto a cotton pad and walk all over the body, rubbing the medicine into the skin.
The procedure should be carried out before bedtime. After 12 hours you can take a shower. After 3 days, repeat skin treatment with Benzene Benzoate emulsion to eliminate the remaining mites that were able to hatch three days after the first treatment.
Pregnant and lactating women should not use the product.
The drug Benzyl benzoate is a budget product; for an ointment (25 g) you need to pay an average of 30 rubles, for an emulsion with a volume of 200 ml - about 130 rubles.
Sulfuric ointment
This is the most famous method of treating scabies . You need to use sulfur ointment daily for 5 days. In the evening, apply to clean skin, do not rinse. And only on the fifth day you can take a shower.
During treatment, be sure to change bed linen every day.
Sulfur ointment is sold at any pharmacy and costs a penny. On average, you need to pay 30 rubles for one jar.
Despite its low cost and high efficiency, sulfur ointment is no longer used in Western countries for two reasons:
- it has a distinct smell. Many people do not tolerate the aroma of sulfur ointment;
- The product contains petroleum jelly, which is poorly absorbed into the skin, so greasy marks remain on clothes and bedding.
Despite the disadvantages of sulfur ointment, it has one clear advantage over other pharmaceutical products - it can be used during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and also in the treatment of scabies in children older than 2 months.
Medifox drug
The product is available in the form of a medicated cream or concentrate. The latter is used to treat scabies, while the former is used to remove lice.
The medication is low-toxic and can be used in the treatment of scabies in children over 1 year of age.
Regarding pregnant and nursing mothers, you should consult a doctor. Treatment is permissible, but only after the doctor's approval.
Use the prepared solution (take 4 ampoules per 200 ml of water) to treat the entire body, starting from the head to the heels. Leave the product on the skin for at least 12 hours.
Repeat the procedure 3 days in a row. On the fourth day, you can take a shower, change your bed sheets and underwear.
Medifox is not applied to the face, neck, or scalp.
The cost of the concentrate is approximately 30 rubles.
Treatment of scabies: sulfur ointment, Spregal, Medifox, Benzyl benzoate, antibiotics
Life cycle of scabies mite
The length of the female scabies mite is 0.3-0.4 mm. The life cycle of the scabies mite is about 1 month. Females make passages under the stratum corneum of the epidermis, laying 2-3 eggs there daily. The eggs hatch into larvae. Within 2 weeks, the larvae, having gone through several stages, turn into adults. The latter rise to the surface of the skin and mate. The males, having fertilized the female, soon die. The fertilized female implants itself into the skin of the previous or new host. Thus, the clinical picture of the disease is caused exclusively by females.
The lifespan of a scabies mite at room temperature 22°C and 35 percent humidity is about 4 days. At a temperature of 60°C, ticks die within an hour, and at temperatures below 0°C almost instantly. The invasive stages of scabies mite development are only young females and larvae. The average survival time for female scabies mites reaches 3 days, and for larvae 2. It is in these stages that the mite can move from a host to another person and exist for some time in the external environment. Moreover, smoke dust, wooden surfaces, and natural fabrics are the most favorable habitats for S. scabiei outside the host.
Drugs that relieve severe itching
In order to prevent staphylococcal and streptococcal infections from penetrating the skin after severe scratching, you need to resort to antipruritic drugs.
Greek balm
They can be used to wipe problematic itchy areas for both adults and children. The composition includes natural components: pine resin, tar, propolis, pollen, incense.
The product should be used 3 times a day; water procedures are prohibited during treatment. This balm can be used not only to treat scabies, but also to prevent it.
Suprastin tablets
They quickly relieve itching and cost an average of 200 rubles per pack.
Also, treating scabies at home works well with the use of folk antipruritics:
Tar soap
It has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Tar soap cleanses the skin, accelerates the process of cell keratinization, and promotes rapid healing of wounds caused by skin suppuration.
Thanks to its pungent odor, it repels parasites.
You can use soap while taking a shower, before applying the main treatment cream.
Lavender oil
It quickly relieves itching, as well as the number of skin rashes. The oil is instantly absorbed and leaves no greasy residue. You can apply the product 2 times a day for severe itching.
Laundry soap with onions and garlic
Grate brown soap on a fine grater and melt in a frying pan over low heat. Add finely chopped onion and garlic squeezed through a press.
Simmer the mixture on the fire for 10 minutes, then pour it into the mold and wait until it hardens completely. Apply this soap to itchy areas of the skin several times a day.
What does traditional medicine recommend?
Preferring to fight scabies using traditional methods, it is necessary to strictly follow the recipes for preparing mixtures and maintain the agreed course of procedures.
Vinegar has a high destructive activity against many insects. In just a few applications to the skin, it can kill scabies mites. A particularly good and harmless method of treatment is using apple cider vinegar, which can be used either in its native (natural) form or diluted with warm water.
To treat an adult, add juice squeezed from two cloves of garlic to a spoonful of table vinegar. After thoroughly mixing the components, the liquid is applied to the affected areas of the skin and wait until it dries. There is no need to rinse off. As the substances concentrate on the surface, as well as in the subcutaneous layer (with repeated application), the possibility of complete cleansing increases.
There is a method when a bar of laundry soap is rubbed on the areas where scabies are found. However, this is recommended only at the very beginning of the disease.
The effectiveness of wood ash ointment has been proven over the years. By mixing burnt wood with fat in a ratio of 30:70, you can get a natural sulfur-containing product, which is recommended to be used in a similar way to sulfur ointment.
Elecampane in the fight against ticks
Saponins and essential oils contained in the underground part of the elecampane plant can have a detrimental effect on living scabies mites.
To facilitate the penetration of these components into the skin, the crushed root should be added to the melted (melted) lard over a fire. Then cook this mixture again over low heat for 15 minutes and add two tablespoons of tar soap (per 100g) to it. After leaving for an hour, the mixture can be washed off, but this may not be so easy: you may need laundry soap. The effect can be enhanced by additional rinsing with elecampane decoction.
About tar soap
Birch tar is a valuable substance in the fight against parasites on the human body. It is convenient to use it as part of tar soap. This form is easy to apply, does not cause irritation or side effects, and increases the effectiveness of the complex of acaricidal measures.
By washing wet skin with this soap, the following effects are achieved:
- sexually mature ticks lose their viability;
- blood supply to the skin and subcutaneous tissue is normalized;
- the surface of the dermis dries out, unnecessary shine disappears;
- the processes of its regeneration and revitalization are activated.
You should not expect a powerful anti-tick effect from a single use. To get rid of symptoms, several sessions will be required, and in the case of massive infection, this is only an additional external influence of a hygienic nature, which helps to strengthen general therapy.
About turpentine
Terpenes and terpenoids obtained from extracts of coniferous trees, which form the basis of such an effective remedy as turpentine, are not a thing of the past. Despite their ability to cause dermatitis, many prefer this effective way to “poison” parasites on human skin.
Important! Do not smear turpentine all over your skin. Its aggressive effects can adversely affect healthy areas. It is necessary to carefully examine the itchy surfaces and identify all the mite passages made. The ointment is concentrated here and left for the duration of exposure.
To treat an adult, turpentine can be used in a mixture with drying oil (optimal ratio 1:2). In this case, there is not only a poisonous effect on the insect, but also clogging of the exits from the scabies passage with the oily composition of drying oil. As a result, the tick remains under the skin without access to oxygen and soon dies.
Using bay leaf
Treatment of scabies at home is also carried out using an ordinary bay leaf.
Finely crushed, it is mixed with any fat base (you need to take butter or sunflower oil, sour cream, lavender oil, melted lard, etc.). The tannins, resins, bitterness and essential oils contained in the plant make the medicine effective and safe.
While destroying insects, such a mixture rarely causes allergic reactions, and the absence of a sharp unpleasant odor makes it traditionally popular and convenient.
The medicine can be prepared several procedures ahead, and then stored in a warm place.
We fight with celandine
If celandine juice is mixed, for example, with synthomycin or streptocide ointments, and applied to areas of the skin affected by mites, it can completely paralyze the insects and make their further life activities impossible.
The effect is due to the presence of alkaloids and essential oils in the plant. Citric, malic and chelidonic acids play a certain role. And the presence of vitamins has a general strengthening and immunostimulating effect on skin immunity.
The second option to defeat ticks using this affordable plant is to prepare a bath. By relaxing in a warm decoction of celandine (at the rate of 3 tablespoons of chopped herb per half-liter jar of boiling water, leave in a water bath for 30 minutes, strain), a person receives not only an acaricidal effect, but also gives rest to his nervous system. Such procedures will be useful every day before bed, for at least 7 days in a row. Gradually, the symptoms of scabies will recur less frequently and subside.
Such baths are also used for other skin problems (allergic dermatitis, eczema, pustular lesions).
Euphorbia is a plant that can be used to cope with scabies
Euphorbia juice contains a lot of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, resins and bitterness. This composition has long made the plant a remedy for scabies.
The effect is enhanced by the presence of euphorbon and gum in the juice - proven natural healers.
It is enough to lubricate the affected areas, including on the legs, with freshly squeezed milkweed liquid three times a day to stop the reproduction of mites and lead to their complete extermination.
A composition prepared on the basis of the herb fumyria officinalis has a similar effect. This effect is due to the presence in the juice of the plant (household weed) of active substances that inhibit gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors.
Is scabies always accompanied by itching?
This question worries many people. In some cases, the disease may indeed not bring discomfort to a person.
Itching may not be observed under the following circumstances:
- if 3–5 weeks have not passed since infection;
- if there are still few ticks under a person’s skin;
- if the patient applied drugs with anti-inflammatory effects to problem areas;
- if a person has so-called Norwegian scabies, for which itching is not a characteristic symptom (this type of disease is extremely rare).
Treatment methods
This disease is quite easy to treat, even in its advanced form. There are four categories of products that kill scabies mites:
- sulfur preparations;
- balsamic preparations and their derivatives;
- Soap, gel, ointment – for skin parasites;
- Traditional medicine.
You shouldn’t hope that scabies will go away on its own, it won’t.
The spots and itching may disappear for a while, but over time the disease will unconditionally make itself felt, and in a recurrent form.
The disease will go away forever if the treatment destroys not only the adults, but also the eggs laid under the skin. To do this, you do not need to treat the entire body comprehensively; local use of medications is sufficient.
Principles of scabies treatment
- During treatment, you need to cut your nails short. If a person scratches the skin, there may be parasite eggs under the nails.
- Disinfect clothing, bedding, and personal belongings. Wash all clothes and iron them with a hot iron. If the item cannot be ironed or washed (for example, the fabric is not heat treated), then you need to put it in a plastic bag, close it tightly, and leave it on the balcony. Open in a week. Ticks that do not have access to the human body die after 5 days.
- A rare type of disease - Norwegian scabies needs to be treated in a hospital setting.
- If one of the family members has become infected with scabies, then other household members must undergo “treatment”. Dermatologists recommend that they undergo treatment with the same drugs as the sick person. This will prevent further development of the parasitic infection.
- You cannot shorten the treatment course prescribed by your doctor..
Folk remedies against scabies
Turpentine
The medicinal mixture is prepared from boiled vegetable oil and turpentine in a ratio of 4:1, rubbed into the body several times a day.
Powder
You can get rid of scabies using gunpowder used by hunters. To prepare the product, add 50 g of gunpowder to a glass of rich sour cream. The mass is placed in a warm place for 2 hours. Apply at night for 5 days.
Garlic and onion
You can stop the development of scabies with a garlic-onion mixture if applied at the initial stage of the disease. A piece of laundry soap is grated on a coarse grater and melted in a water bath; a whole head of garlic and a large onion, crushed into a pulp, are added to the mass. Damaged skin is treated with frozen ointment.
Apple vinegar
To reduce itching of the skin during scabies, you need to treat the affected areas with apple cider vinegar. To treat the disease, a tincture of crushed garlic and vinegar is used: the mixture is infused for 8 hours, filtered, and applied to the body.
Tomato oil
0.5 liters of sunflower oil is poured into a saucepan, after heating, tomatoes cut into pieces (1 kg) are dropped into it. The mass is stewed for about half an hour, filtered. The skin is treated with cooled tomato oil. After an hour, the product is washed off using laundry soap. Tomato oil relieves itching well.
What to do to avoid getting scabies?
Prevention of the occurrence of this contagious disease includes following these recommendations:
- use of individual items of clothing, towels, underwear and bed linen.
- Taking a shower every day using toilet soap and a washcloth.
- regular change of underwear and bed linen.
- washing clothes followed by ironing with a hot iron.
- regular cleaning of the house.
- maintaining hygiene measures in public places.
- paying close attention to your skin. If you suspect scabies, you should not self-medicate; you should consult a dermatologist.
Rules for effective treatment
In order for treatment at home to achieve successful results, the following rules must be followed:
- Before applying any drug to the skin, you should take water procedures and change bed and underwear.
- It is best to apply products in the evening, since mites are more active in the evening. Apply the drug evenly over the entire surface of the body, with the exception of the face and scalp.
- At the end of therapy, it is recommended to take a shower and change your underwear.
- Be sure to get examined by a dermatologist to make sure you are fully recovered.
- Linen needs to be boiled and ironed on all sides.
People who have been in direct contact with the infected person should also undergo treatment to avoid re-infection.
Many people associate the appearance of scabies with poor hygiene. But this is a completely erroneous opinion. It is impossible to exterminate scabies mites with water and regular soap. Therefore, regular showering does not have a therapeutic effect.
What is nervous scabies?
There is such a thing as nervous scabies . The similarity with ordinary scabies, caused by the active activity of a mite under the skin, is only in one thing - itching.
Scabies itch is not the cause of nervous scabies. The patient’s unstable psycho-emotional state is to blame: stress, overexertion, phobias, depression, panic.
Nervous scabies affects mainly children, as well as women . And all because these categories of people are too emotional.
Rashes and itching can appear on any part of the body. Treatment for this type of scabies differs from standard treatment for tick-borne disease. With pseudo-scabies, you need to contact the following doctors: an allergist, a dermatologist, a psychologist.
Patients are prescribed sedatives, sedatives, and antidepressants.
Prevention of scabies
Prevention of scabies involves active identification of sources of infection and persons in contact with the patient, identification of foci of scabies and their elimination, preventive treatment of persons who were in close contact with patients with scabies, clinical observation of patients, and ongoing disinfection at the source of infection.
Control of cure is carried out 3 days after the end of treatment, and then every 10 days for one and a half months. The success of treatment is determined both by the drug itself and its concentration, the choice of which depends on the age of the patient, the degree of development of the process, the presence of complications and their severity.
Classification of scabies
Scabies has the following classification:
- Typical. Typical scabies is characterized by severe itching, especially in the evening, accompanied by scratching and crusts with blood, as well as visible scabies (localization of mite eggs and larvae). This is the most common type of scabies;
- Scabies without moves. Symptoms of scabies without burrows are itching at night, the presence of a papular-vesicular rash with redness. With this disease, infection occurs from a larva that has not yet had time to turn into an adult, lay eggs, and therefore create an itch. After two weeks, if treatment is not started, the larva will be able to lay eggs, which means scabies will appear.
- Norwegian. The second name is cortical. This disease appears in immunodeficiency states (for example, HIV infection), constant hormonal treatment, mental disorders, and paresis. Signs of crusted scabies include the absence of itching characteristic of the typical form, the development of thick crusts throughout the body, asymmetrical rashes, and multiple redness. It was first described in Norway, which is why it received this name.
- Scabies of clean people. The second name is incognito. It usually affects extremely clean people who often shower for personal or professional reasons. Thanks to regular bathing of a person, mites are mechanically washed off from the patient’s skin. Due to the small number of mites on the body, the symptoms of the disease are mild: there is almost no itching, rashes are rare. People with this type of scabies do not seek medical help, and therefore pose a danger to others and can infect them.
Scabies prevalence
In the Russian Federation, scabies is localized in organized groups with round-the-clock stays (army barracks, hospices, prisons, dormitories, orphanages, boarding schools, psychiatric hospitals) or among people without a fixed place of residence. Every year about one million people fall ill in our country, as a result of which the disease is considered one of the most common parasitoses. Children get sick more often than adults. A high risk of getting sick is associated with overcrowding in children's groups - kindergartens, schools, camps, boarding schools, and dormitories. Close skin contact of the sick person with other members of the team can trigger an outbreak of the disease.
