How to treat scabies? This is a common question. Let's look into it in more detail.
Scabies, or otherwise this ailment is also called pruritic dermatosis, is a skin disease that is caused by infection with a mite - itching. This skin disease is caused by the female itch. The tick is characterized by microscopic dimensions, so it is almost impossible to see it with the naked eye. The life expectancy of one such individual is a month. On the day, the female parasite can lay up to three eggs, making passages under the stratum corneum of the skin. During the incubation period, which is about two weeks, adult parasites are formed from the larvae, which are also able to lay eggs. According to statistics, by the end of the twentieth century, the number of people with scabies approached five percent of the inhabitants of the entire planet. In this article, we will look at how to treat scabies.
Reasons for appearance
The scabies mite acquired its name from the Greek language, which means "to gnaw meat." The source from whichcan be infected, is directly the carrier of scabies, along with his personal belongings. Infection, as a rule, occurs as a result of direct prolonged contact, for example, during a handshake, being in a shared bed, and so on - all this is a direct route to infection. How to get rid of scabies is not an idle question.
Infection, among other things, can occur through items of personal use, we are talking about towels, bedding, washcloths, clothes and the like. The tick can also feel very comfortable in a humid environment, in which it can survive up to five days.
Itching dermatosis is endemic or epidemic. Epidemic outbreaks are characteristic of third world countries. In developed countries, sporadic foci of infections can often occur, which are localized in groups, for example, in hostels, boarding schools, barracks, and so on. "Daytime" communities, such as schools, universities or kindergartens, in most situations do not carry any epidemic danger.
The stages of scabies will be discussed below.
Stages
The primary infection stage lasts from 2 to 14 days, but the latent course of scabies often lasts for several months with regular and repeated flushing of mites and frequent change of clothes.
By acting on itchy soap, gels, water and a washcloth, a person removes some of the parasites, and involuntarily forces other mites to penetrate deeper into the skin, hiding in scabies channels under the stratum corneum. In this case, the pathology does not go away, butperiodically resumes in the form of relapses.
Symptoms of scabies
Clinical signs of such an ailment as pruritic dermatosis do not have an exact time range. This primarily depends on the age of the parasite and the stage of infection. In the event that an adult tick penetrates under the skin, the first symptom will be the appearance of a rash after a few hours. There are examples of latent infection, in which the incubation period takes up to fourteen days. Not everyone knows which doctor to contact with scabies.
The rash that occurs with scabies is often confused with the so-called pruritus. In this regard, for correct diagnosis, it is required to be able to distinguish all clinical manifestations of infection. So, the following symptoms may be the main pronounced manifestations:
- Appearance of itching of the skin, which tends to worsen at night. It is at this time that female ticks are especially active.
- Presence of tortuous itch passages visible to the naked eye.
- Presence of vesicles and papules covered with a crust, and, in addition, the appearance of excoriations and vesicles on the skin.
- The most common sites are the abdomen, along with the elbows, hips, creases between the fingers, the side of the body and the mammary glands.
It is important to note that pruritus can occur not only due to itchy dermatosis. In order to confirm the diagnosis, it is required to pass an analysis aimed at determining the disease.
So, how to treat scabies?
Where to start treatment?
First of all, at the firstsigns of the disease, you must contact a dermatologist so that he confirms this diagnosis and prescribes adequate treatment. In the event that the foci of infection are single, then it will be possible to cure scabies at home. Treatment is carried out only through the use of external agents, the main task of which is to destroy the tick. A prerequisite is compliance with certain hygiene standards and rules.
How to treat scabies at home? More on that below.
General rules for the treatment of scabies
Before you start applying topical products, you need to do the following:
- Make a wet cleaning.
- Change underwear, and, in addition, bed linen of an infected person.
- All linen in the house needs to be boiled and ironed properly. Clothes that cannot be washed should simply be ironed on both sides with an iron at an acceptable temperature.
- You need to take a shower, which can expand the pores, making it easier for drugs to get under the skin.
- Do not take a bath or shower during treatment.
- Medicines are recommended to be applied in the evenings, evenly covering the skin surface.
- Should not lubricate the treatment under the hair.
- At the end of the treatment, it is required to change the linen again and wash properly.
- Visit a dermatologist to confirm the fact of recovery.
How to get rid of scabies with drugs?
The use of drugs againstscabies
In the presence of multiple foci of mite lesions, it is recommended to use drugs that should be carefully rubbed into the skin. But at the same time, it is recommended to avoid areas of the face, hair of the head, and neck. To date, the most popular pharmaceutical preparations for combating itchy dermatosis are ointments made on the basis of tar and sulfur. When applying the product to the skin, special attention should be paid to the area of the largest accumulation of parasites. Processing of the affected areas is required to be carried out five days in a row at night. For those people who have sensitive skin, sulfuric ointment is prohibited. How to treat scabies in adults? So, the most effective modern pharmaceutical against ticks are the following drugs:
- Drug "Lindane" has different forms of release. It should be used to treat dry skin. The product is applied and left for twenty-four hours, after which it is washed off. The use of this drug should be single, but if necessary, it can be applied again. How to treat scabies in children?
- The drug "Spregal" is a synthetic aerosol, which is also used once. The drug is of low toxicity, but it should not be used by pregnant women, and, in addition, people with bronchial asthma.
- Benzyl Benzoate is an ointment for the treatment of scabies in humans. The whole body can be treated with this drug, except for the head and face. Hands after its application are washed only in the morning. Laterfour days the treatment is repeated. The next day you need to change the linen. This drug should not be used for the treatment of children under three years of age, and, in addition, pregnant women.
- How to treat scabies in adults? Means "Krotamiton" is a cream that kills the tick and relieves itching in various skin diseases. This drug is prescribed with caution to children and pregnant women. A five-day course of treatment is recommended.
- Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug intended for single oral use. It is prescribed in exceptional cases and under the strict supervision of the attending physician. This medicine has some side effects. It can also be used on animals.
Now let's talk about how to treat scabies at home.
Folk remedies against scabies
Methods of alternative medicine are directed to the use of drugs that force parasites to leave the moves they have made in one or another layer of the skin. The following remedies are great for treating scabies, not only among adult patients, but also in children. But in any case, immediately before starting therapy, you should definitely consult a dermatologist.
Using homemade scabies ointments
The most effective remedies to help cure scabies are the following recipes:
- Butter is perfect as a basis for making a healing ointment. In addition, you can use pork fat. Take in equal sharesground celandine with bay leaf. The mixture is put on fire so that it warms up a little. Next, treat itchy areas twice a day. It is especially important to process in the evenings. Folk remedies for scabies are very effective.
- Take 300 grams of thick sour cream. Next, add 100 grams of hunting powder and leave the mass for two hours in a warm place. Then the whole body is treated with the agent and wait until everything is absorbed.
- As part of another recipe, heat the tar, then smear it on the affected area. In this form, the treated area is left for three hours, after which it is not washed off, but wiped with a damp swab. Also, any napkin is suitable for this. What other ointment for scabies is suitable?
- Pig fat is mixed with sulfur and s alt, then applied to infested skin.
- Two tablespoons of butter mixed with turpentine. After that, compresses are made on the diseased areas of the body, leaving it in this state for two hours.
- Vaseline is taken as a base, which is mixed with celandine juice and the resulting product is applied to the skin once a day until complete recovery.
Use of herbs and berries against scabies
No less effective remedies that help cure scabies are recipes using berries and herbs. Here are the most effective ones:
- Pour 200 milliliters of vodka into 25 grams of a herb called medicinal fume. Leave the resulting mass in a dark place for seven days. Lubricate sore spots in the evenings for five days. You can alsouse the fresh juice of this herb. Folk remedies for scabies are of interest to many.
- Immediately before the start of the main therapy, you should take a bath with a decoction of verbena and burial ground. 30 grams of the mixture is poured with a liter of boiling water, then insisted for three hours and poured into water for a bath. Immediately after the procedure, it is required to apply anti-scabies ointment.
- You can take a bath with a decoction of juniper. To do this, take 50 grams of grass per 5 liters of water. The prepared broth is poured into the bath. The duration of such a bath should be no more than twenty minutes.
- An equally effective method is to rub the skin with a decoction of horse chestnut, and, in addition, cranberry and lingonberry juice.
- As part of the preparation of the next remedy, take a tablespoon of dry celandine with elecampane roots and pour boiling water over it. Next, let the product stand for four hours. The resulting medicine should be washed with the affected areas.
- It is also very effective to treat infected areas affected by scabies with milkweed juice. At the same time, it is extremely important to follow the safety rules, not allowing the product to get into the mouth, as it is poisonous.
- It is allowed to drink juice from fresh vervain leaves inside.
Other folk remedies
How to treat scabies, it is better to check with your doctor. But there are proven recipes. People have been using tomato oil for a long time with this ailment. This recipe is very effective and efficient, thanks to it,parasites and heal any skin lesions. To prepare it you need:
- Fry a kilogram of tomatoes in vegetable oil in a frying pan.
- The resulting liquid is drained and allowed to cool.
- The resulting oil is used to treat the skin up to four times a day until complete recovery.
- The course of treatment in this way should be at least ten days.
The disease (scabies) is treated with garlic oil as well. It perfectly relieves any manifestations of scabies. At the same time, relief can come already on the fourth day of therapy, and complete recovery occurs by the eighth day of using the oil. To prepare the medicine do the following:
- Mash 100 grams of peeled garlic.
- Pour garlic with 400 ml of mustard oil.
- Simmer for about fifteen minutes, then strain.
- Treat the skin up to four times a day for a week. Store butter in the refrigerator.
In addition, it is advisable to use cranberry juice, which destroys parasites well, preventing skin inflammation. For this, it is taken orally. Freshly squeezed juice, among other things, can be used to treat the skin. Euphorbia juice has a similar effect. How much to treat scabies?
When using this remedy, relief can come after four days, and as for complete recovery, it occurs after a week of therapy.
Possible complications and preventive measures
BIn the event that the skin is scratched strongly in the presence of itchy dermatosis, the upper layer of the epidermis may be disturbed, which, in turn, will cause complications. As a result, purulent inflammation of the skin, which is called pyoderma, can develop.
Against the background of a complicated and diffuse form of the disease, protein can be detected in the urine, and eosinophils in the blood. In the event that staphylococcal, and, in addition, streptococcal bacteria, get into the areas affected by the tick, microbial eczema can form - weeping formations with clear contours. As a rule, pustules and multiple scabs are sown on them.
If it so happens that a person has become infected with a scabies mite, he althy people surrounding him, regularly in contact with him, must take all necessary measures to protect themselves from this disease. They are required to undergo a course of therapy together with the patient, treating the skin with agents that are aimed at destroying parasites. It is equally important to follow the rules of personal hygiene without fail. It is imperative to boil and iron clothes with linens. In no case should you use other people's bath accessories, for example, a towel, a washcloth, and so on.
Conclusion
Thus, in the event that the doctor has diagnosed scabies, it should be borne in mind that this disease can be cured at home. But the actual treatment process itself needs to be agreed with your doctor. It is possible to get sick with this disease again. In connection withTherefore, regular observance of hygiene rules should become a prerequisite for daily life.
We looked at how to treat scabies. Medicines can be purchased at a pharmacy or you can make your own.
