What are moisturizers?
What is scabies? Scabies is a contagious skin condition, characterized by itchy bumps and blisters on the surface of the skin. It is caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, which is a tiny, eight-legged burrowing mite and is not visible to the naked eye. Scabies can be easily spread from person to person.
|  | Symptoms
Scabies produce red itchy bumps andblisters on various surfaces of your body. The most common symptom ofscabies is severe itching. Itching tends to be worse at night. Scabiesoften occurs in between the fingers and toes, in armpits, the wrist,back of the elbows, on the soles of the feet, around the waist, thebreasts, genitals, navels and buttocks, etc.
The bumps are medically termed as papules, which may contain blood crusts. The affected area may become sore due to repeated scratching. Open soresare susceptible to bacterial infection. However, every bump is not a bug. The average affected person has only 10 to 15 live mites even if there are hundreds of bumps.
| | Crusted scabies is a severe form of scabies, characterized by skin thickening and scaly rash. People who have poor immune systems or who are malnourished are prone to crusted scabies. Symptoms of crusted scabies may vary from person to person as the rash of crusted scabies may or may not itch. Crusted scabies is considered to be the most contagious form of scabies. |  | | How do you get scabies?
Mites can borrow into your skin to lay their eggs. The eggsmature in 21 days and can spread to other areas of the skin. Theitching of the scabies is due to your body’s allergic reaction to themites, their eggs and their waste | 
| Scabies mites are very sensitive to their environment. They cannotsurvive for not more than 2 or 3 days without a human host. If you havenever been exposed to scabies, it may be 4–6 weeks before you haveitching and skin sores after the initial infestation. However, if youhad it before, the symptoms may show within a few days.
| | Scabies spreads easily from person to person through skin-to-skin orsexual contact with someone who is infected with it. It often affectshousehold members at the same time. Sharing of clothes, bedding, towelsor other personal things can also spread the mites. You cannot getscabies from the pets as all the animals are affected by their owndistinct species of mite. | 
| | Preventing scabies - Avoiding direct physical contact with the person who has scabies, as well as with their personal items is the best way to prevent scabies.
- If someone in your family has scabies, all the other family members need to be treated.
- Clothes, towels and bedding should be washed in hot soapy water as scabies mites can live as long as 2–3 days in them.
- Each room in the house should be cleaned properly.
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| When to seek medical care
You should see a doctor if you have symptoms that may indicate scabies or you have had contact with someone who has scabies. If left untreated, you may be prone to other secondary bacterial infections due to breakage of the skin as a result of vigorous scratching. Other conditions like eczema, hives, dermatitis, etc. may cause intense itching. Your doctor can help determine the correct diagnosis and ensure you receive proper treatment.
Treatment
Your doctor may prescribe certain medicated creams and lotions to kill the mites and helps provide relief from itching. Oral medications are usually recommended for patients with crusted scabies. Although these medications will cure scabies, itching may last up to 2 weeks after the treatment. If the symptoms last longer, you need to be reevaluated by your doctor to rule out any incidence of reinfection.
All family members need to be treated at the same time, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms of scabies. As scabies can be transmitted sexually, sexual partners should also be treated. |
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