Common Skin Problems – Scabies (Mite Itch) Causes, Symptoms, Natural Cures and Treatment

Scabies is an invasion of the skin with a microscopic mite.



Scabies is commonly found worldwide; it affects people of all races and social classes. The disease spreads fast, particularly under crowded conditions where there is a lot of body-to- body contact between people.



This is more so in crowded traffic, hospitals, institutions, child-care facilities, and nursing homes.

People with weakened immune systems and the elderly suffer chances of a more severe form of scabies. This is called crusted or Norwegian scabies. But once away from the human body the mites don’t live on for more than 48 – 72 hours. On a person, an adult female mite can survive for up to 30 days even.

Signs and symptoms of Scabies

• Irritations, like pimples, burrows or rash of the skin – in particular the webbing connecting the fingers – the folds of skin on the elbows, wrists, or knees, penis, breasts, or shoulder blades.
• Strong itching, particularly at nights and over most of the body.
• Body sores caused by over itching, which can become infected with bacteria.

Treatment of Scabies

Anyone diagnosed with scabies, plus his or her sexual partners and those who have close, prolonged contact to the infested person must be treated as well. If your medical practitioner has told family members to get treated, all must be treated at the same time, to prevent reinfestation.

To treat scabies, many lotions and ointments are available. However, you should always follow the instructions given by your medical practitioner or the directions on the package insert. Apply the ointment to a clean body, then have a bath or shower to wash off the medication and then wear clean clothes. All clothing, bed linen, and towels that are used by the infected person 2 days prior to treatment must, necessarily, be washed in hot water; dry in a hot dryer. A 2nd treatment with the same medication could be needed a week to ten days later. However, pregnant women and children are normally treated with milder scabies medications.

Itching may continue for 14 – 21 days, and does not mean that you are still infested. Your doctor may prescribe additional medication to relieve itching if it is severe. No new burrows or rashes should appear 1 – 2 days after effective treatment