What is Scabies?
Scabies is a type of skin infection popularly known as itch, which affects people of either sex at any age. It is caused by mite sarcoptes scabiei or in simple words itch mite. It is highly contagious. Scabies mites tend to burrow or make tunnel under the outer layer of our skin. This produces a pimple form of scabies rash. The mites are of pinhead size and are quite transparent and cannot be seen with the eyes. They lay eggs below the skin and feed on our blood. Scabies is more common in children under the age of 15.
Home Remedies for Scabies
- Nails of affected person should be trimmed
- All clothes of infected person should be washed in hot water
- The areas of the body which is infected should be washed with hot water boiled with Margosa tree leaves
- Tender Margosa tree leaves could be chewed for relief from Scabies
- A paste of 2 tsp of sublimed sulphur and 8 tbsp of coconut oil should be applied on the affected area
- After a warm bath, a mixture of equal parts of soap, ethyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate should be brushed for five minutes on the infected parts while it is wet. After it is dry, again paint the infected area with mixture and wash it after 5 minutes with warm water
- Fresh juice of apricot leaves could be applied on the infected area
- Mint leaves paste applied on infected area also gives fast relief
- Half cup of bitter gourd juice could be taken with 1 tsp of lime juice once daily on an empty stomach for a faster relief from scabies
- Wash affected areas with flour of Bengal gram. Bengal gram flour is a great cleansing agent
- Apply the extract of fresh apple juice on the areas that are infected
- Take fine powder of dry bark of a Sacred Fig tree and sieve it. Use it as a dusting powder on scabies lesions
- Make a paste of dried or fresh Margosa leaves and same amount of turmeric powder that is mixed with mustard oil. Apply the paste on the body and let it be for an hour or perhaps more. Then take a bath. Repeat this for 7 to 10 till all the lesions disappear
- Extract about 400-500gms of drumstick leaves and mix it with equal quantity of oil of sesame seed. Boil the content till water gets dried up. Cool and store it. Apply daily infected areas. Both of them contain strong anti-microbial properties
- One can locally apply 25 % of benzyl benzoate emulsion (Ascabiol) or about 10 % of gamma benzene hexachloride (Scabiezima, scarab)
Scabies Symptoms
Scabies symptoms includes severe itching, which is more severe in nights or after a hot bath. This is due to the increase in activity of the parasite, which increases due to warmth of the body. The most common places or areas affected are:
- Webs of fingers and toes
- Front surface of wrists
- Under the armpits
- Around the Elbows
- Along the beltline
- Lower part of buttocks
- Around the nipples
The burrows made by itch mite appears as fine wavy dark lines if it is visible.
Causes of Scabies
The female itch mite, which measures 1-4 mm, burrows under the outer layer of skin and lays her egg along the tunnel. Once the larva hatch, it tends to congregate in and around the hair follicles. Close body contact with infected person causes this infection. Sharing clothes is another way of infection being transmitted.
- Allergic reaction to burrowing mites on the outer layer of the skin
- Scabies spreads through touch
- It also spreads through the common usage of bed and clothing as well which as been worn by person affected by scabies
- Shaking hands also causes it