What You Might Want To Know About Scabies   by Sandy Rutherforde

in Health    (submitted 2012-01-11)

Like hair lice, scabies has the remarkable power to make nearly anyone who reads about it need a little bit of a scratch. In fact, it will be equally remarkable if after getting to the end of this article, you haven't had a scratch yourself. So, good luck with that one.

In this article, we will be addressing several of the commonly asked questions related to this condition such as what is scabies, scabies treatment methods and we will additionally consider the most typical scabies symptoms.

Exactly what is Scabies

So, are you prepared to begin scratching? Let's start with the two questions: what is scabies and what causes it? In answer to the first question, at a base level, scabies is a contagious and particularly itchy skin problem brought on by Sarcoptes Scabiei.

"And what is Sarcoptes Scabie?" I hear you ask. Well, Sarcoptes Scabiei is a lot better known as the scabies mite and it is a small bristly parasite that burrows into your skin and in the case of the female, lays up to 50 eggs in its life span.

With the parasite now at home on or beneath your skin, your body will now start to react to the mite's behaviour. This reaction is a result of an allergic reaction to the mites themselves, their eggs or their waste products including feces and saliva. Had a scratch yet?

Scabies Symptoms

There are actually three main scabies symptoms:

1) Severe itching that may be worse when warm. Initially this irritation will be localized inside a small area of the body, but subsequently will spread to additional areas pretty fast.

2) A rash most apparent on the back, buttocks, arms and genitals.

3) A series of fine lines around the surface of your skin. Just what are these lines? They're the burrows (or tunnels) made by the mites on their trip over your body.

It's important to note that just like a number of parasite based problems, scabies is quite contagious and even though it is far more likely to get spread around by means of skin on skin contact, the mite can also survive for more than 24 hours without having a human host.

Bearing that in mind, if you have scabies or know anyone else who does, personal contact will need to be limited where at all possible. However, limiting contact may well be too little too late because symptoms may take as much as six weeks to show up. This could well explain the comparatively common nature of this condition.

Scabies Treatment

Admittedly, this article has painted a somewhat frightening vision of the problem but thankfully, the majority of cases are quite easily treated. In fact, scabies treatment (with a dermal cream) is generally readily available both over the counter and by prescription so seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist to find out more. Now you can scratch away.

About the Author

Are you suffering from scabies? Be sure to visit Patient.co.uk for information on scabies treatment and symptoms.