Scabies is your skin’s invasion by very tiny mites, transferred to your skin from the skin of another. These scabies producing microscopic mites were brought to you by skin-on-skin contact with someone who’s already infested.
Not from your mange infested pet dog nor a quick handshake or hug. Extended skin contact or sharing clothing, towels and bedding are common transfer type scenarios.
Symptoms of a scabies infestation gives you notice with an extremely itchy, rashy, pimply looking irritation, usually around your body’s skinfold areas, like:
- on your penis
- around your wrist
- back of your knee
- under your breasts
- inside of your elbow
- between your fingers
- around your shoulder blades
Be careful not to scratch too much, those itchy skinfold rash sores are prime real estate for a bacterial infection.
Those with weakened immune systems and the elderly are at a greater risk for crusted scabies (Norwegian), a more severe and spreadable form of scabies.
The human form of mites can live up to a month on your skin, but only survive a couple of days without their life source. For those on their first go around with scabies, you may not experience mite caused symptoms for a month or more. Previous sufferers know it within a matter of days.
You have a couple of treatment options for your scabies skinfold rash. Several creams and lotions are available by prescription, this means a visit to your doctor for diagnosis.
In the alternative, you can use over the counter treatments containing permethrin or natural treatments, such as:
- Neem
- Tea Tree Oil
As mites only live up to 3 days off the skin, wash all clothing, towels and bedding you used over the past many days in hot water.
You may continue to itch after treatment for a couple of weeks, this is not a sign of continued rash of mites infestation.