Scabies Symptoms

What is Scabies? Scabies is a skin infection that can lead to small itchy blisters and bumps, and are caused by tiny mites that live and burrow into the top layer of the skin. These mites lay their eggs there. When you look at the skin of someone with scabies, you are likely to see reddish, wavy lines on the surface, especially between the fingers and around the wrists. Children affected by scabies often get a bumpy red rash.

This is a highly contagious infection and scabies is transmitted from the skin of an infected person to that of another person and thus infects them as well. Scabies can therefore spread through touch or sexual contact. Scabies can spread in crowded areas, where there is more scope for coming in contact with an infected person.

Symptoms of Scabies: Severe itching is the most common symptom of scabies. The itching tends to get worse after a hot water bath or at night. The infection can begin as itchy blisters or bumps that are filled with pus. The skin may turn scaly, thick, scabbed and marred with scratch marks.

The areas that are generally affected by scabies are the feet and hands, the inner side of the wrists, and underarms. Elbows, buttocks, navel, genitals and breasts may also get affected by scabies.

When someone contracts scabies, itching is the preliminary symptom. But often people mistake this for dry skin. Then the affected area of the skin looks like skin sores and rash with curving tracks. You can sometimes spot the mite that is causing scabies – it appears as a small black dot on the skin.

Treatment: If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, we urge you to consult a doctor or dermatologist immediately. A doctor will most likely prescribe a medicated cream to kill the mites. The cream should be applied all over the body and one should keep it on for anywhere between 8 to 12 hours.

Sexually active adults need to be careful, as scabies can be transmitted through sexual contact.

Prevention: Remember that direct contact can spread scabies. And holding hands as this is one of the most common ways in which scabies spreads. Scabies can also be transmitted through clothing and bedding, if it was used by someone who had scabies.

Home Remedy: Oil extracted from margosa is supposed to cure scabies. The ancient texts of Ayurveda recommend the essential oil of margosa to treat skin infections like scabies. The oil is effective in controlling the breeding of the mites, soothes the itching and pain, and heals scabies.

Tea tree oil can also cure scabies by killing the mites and their destroying the eggs.