A dermatological disease such as scabies can develop on the human body, unaware of the existence of the parasite. A person may notice itching and other unpleasant sensations. The patient becomes a source of infection with this parasite.
Scabies is a disease mainly of unscrupulous people. But clean people also often become victims of this disease, because it is transmitted through direct contact with an infected person and through contact with objects that he touched. It is almost impossible to notice the parasite itself. It is necessary to treat scabies in a timely manner, because the patient becomes a carrier of the disease, and taking preventive measures is a matter of first importance.
Causes of scabies on the body
Infection can occur anywhere and anytime. Usually, itching is transmitted to a healthy patient through direct contact with a person affected by scabies. During sexual intercourse this risk is highest. Children also become carriers of the parasite, and healthy people in their environment become infected almost instantly.
Often the source is not the person himself, but the things with which he came into contact - clothes, door handles, railings and other household items.
Usually the hands are affected first, because we use them to contact other people and touch all objects.
At the same time, the disease appears on the body for the first time very rarely. Itching is localized below the navel and on the inner thighs. Please note that symptoms do not appear on the first day. When the tick begins to multiply and spread throughout the epidermis, symptoms will begin to appear.
Infection occurs by a female scabies itch. When it gets under the skin, it digs holes for itself and at the end of them lays eggs for reproduction.
Soon the young individuals grow up and also reproduce. This process usually takes about two weeks.
Preparations with sulfur and tar
Ointments containing 20-30 percent sulfur or tar are rubbed vigorously into the skin for several minutes. In this case, attention is paid not only to the places of scabies, but also to the entire body except the face and scalp. It is especially good to rub the ointment into the stomach, elbows, wrists and hands. The delicate skin of the genitals and breasts should be lubricated carefully.
The procedure is repeated every day at night. During the treatment period, you should not take a bath or shower. You can wash off the ointment only on the seventh day, and you should use soap. After water procedures, you need to put on clean linen and clothes, and remake the bed.
Symptoms of scabies on the body
The skin of the abdomen is an ideal place for scabies mites to develop. The skin here is soft and suitable for the life of the parasite, because it is protected from the cold. On the head, for example, this parasite stops even less often, because coarse hair and constant temperature changes will interfere with it.
Typically, the number of scabies mites varies from fifteen to twenty individuals. But there are times when their number rises to thousands. This is a symptom of Norwegian scabies, which has sometimes been fatal. This type of disease is very rare.
The scabies mite gets on the skin and begins to parasitize, biting into it.
The patient notices itching, which intensifies in the evening, because the tick is nocturnal. Redness and small pimples form at the sites of parasitism. This is an allergic reaction to the parasite.
Later, passages are formed under the skin of a light shade - these are the places where the tick gnawed its way through. It is often very difficult to notice them.
These symptoms are easy to see if they are located below the navel because the skin in this area is very sensitive.
At the very beginning of the disease, destroying the tick is not difficult. You should identify this disease from the photos presented on the website in a special section.
The disease mainly affects the hands, but the source of the disease can also be localized on the back, legs, chest, abdomen, and groin. During the first month, symptoms may not appear at all.
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Types of scabies mites in humans
Scabies mites exist in one form - Sarcoptes scabiei (lat.), however, scabies infection occurs in several variants of the manifestation of the disease, which mainly determines the localization of the scabies mite in the human body.
Typical scabies
This is the most common type of disease, diagnosed in 90% of cases. The mite spreads in places of the human body where there are folds (bends of the elbows, wrists, areas on the bend of the knee joint). It is characterized by visible mite passages on the upper layer of the epidermis, redness, and scratching.
Nodular or nodular
Typical sites of manifestation are the groin, genitals, armpits, and anus. Most often, this type of scabies appears after incorrect initial treatment of other types of disease: the scabies tracts left earlier are filled with new parasitic mites, which is why nodules are formed.
Scabies without burrows
The most difficult form of the disease to diagnose, since the passages of the parasites are not visible. The mites focus on the areas between the fingers.
Norwegian scabies (crusted)
This is the rarest form, appearing mainly in people with weakened immune systems, as well as in patients with reduced sensitivity to itching. Signs of the disease are the formation of a crust on the skin, pronounced scabies, often fever, and enlarged lymph nodes. This type of scabies is accompanied by a deterioration in the patient’s general condition.
Scabies of clean people
People who pay increased attention to hygiene are susceptible to the appearance of this form of the disease in their body. Usually manifests itself as dispersed small rashes of a single nature
Pseudosarcoptosis
Scabies mites in cats are also contagious to humans. Pseudosarcoptosis occurs when a person is infected with a special type of scabies mites that live on cats, dogs and other mammals. With this type of scabies, tracks do not appear inside the skin, since mites do not tend to reproduce on humans. The disease is characterized by small red bumps on open areas of the skin.
Scabies on the stomach
The stomach is an ideal place for ticks to become parasitized. The abdomen has soft skin, no coarse hair and no temperature changes. But scabies on the stomach is much less common than on the arms, because you can get infected in this location either through sexual contact or by wearing someone else's clothes.
Treatment of scabies on the abdomen is carried out in the same way as treatment of scabies in another location.
What scabies looks like on the abdomen, the initial and severe stages, how the disease manifests itself in children can be viewed in the photo section.
"Benzyl benzoate"
Despite the high effectiveness of sulfur-containing ointments, their use is limited due to the duration of treatment, the unpleasant odor of the product that cannot be washed off, and unhygienic conditions. Therefore, instead of ointment, they often resort to using 10-20% benzyl benzoate emulsion, which allows to speed up the duration of treatment.
A mixture of benzyl benzoate with boiled water and green or laundry soap is rubbed into the body in the following sequence: hands, arms, chest, stomach, back, buttocks, genitals, legs, feet and fingers. Children can apply a light layer of the suspension on their head and face without vigorous rubbing, but under no circumstances should the medicine get into the mucous membranes of the eyes.
The procedure must be carried out twice daily for two to three days. After this, the patient should wash and change underwear and clothes.
Against the background of the undoubted advantages of benzyl benzoate in the form of accelerated treatment and mild anesthetic effect, one drawback stands out. This is a strong irritant to the skin, due to which application of the product may cause pain.
Treatment of scabies on the body
If you seek treatment from a specialist, you first need to diagnose the disease.
The presence of a secondary infection, which may occur after scratching the affected areas, is checked.
The symptoms of the disease are compared with skin dermatitis and allergies.
The diagnosis is made if symptoms are present:
- Skin rash and itching that gets worse in the evening.
- The presence of scabies that are lighter in skin tone, a couple of millimeters in diameter and 1 cm long.
- When taking antihistamines, the reaction does not go away.
An experienced doctor will easily make a diagnosis. For scabies without tracts, a skin biopsy is prescribed. This is an examination of an area of the dermis under a microscope. This method guarantees the accuracy of the established diagnosis.
The disease is determined by the following methods:
- One of the simplest is staining the affected areas with iodine. The tick's passages will become darker, and healthy areas will become lighter.
- Using a needle, they take out the tick itself, examine it under a microscope and determine its type.
- Examination of the skin under a binocular microscope. This method does not require scraping.
Treatment is best carried out at a time when the parasite is active - that is, at night, and all products should be used in the evening. The patient's environment, family and colleagues should also be considered. Spray products are more suitable for this.
Before and after treatment, clean the skin and treat the bed linen. The house is being disinfected.
The sooner treatment begins, the better for the patient. The main task is to kill the tick.
Patients are often prescribed benzyl benzoate. Before using it, you need to cleanse your skin (take a shower) and then wet your body with gauze that has been soaked in the product. The whole body needs to be treated. The duration of therapy is 3 days. If the tick is not destroyed, you can repeat the course.
Treatment of scabies on the body with folk remedies
Doctors do not recommend treating scabies with traditional methods, and there are reasons for this:
- The most important thing is efficiency. Many folk remedies are completely ineffective. Even the simplest and cheapest ointments, which are indicated for scabies, are guaranteed to destroy the mite, and no one can guarantee the quality of folk recipes.
- An equally important point is safety. The contraindications and side effects of medications are known to the patient in advance. He can, without harm to health, subject to the correct selection of the product, cure scabies in several applications of the product. At the same time, the components of folk remedies can cause allergies, which will only complicate the treatment process.
At the same time, there are products that almost never cause allergies, and these include birch tar. This substance perfectly destroys ticks.
Sulfur and celandine are also used effectively, but patients are more likely to be allergic to these products. Sour milk and other products are used in various recipes.
Treatment of scabies on the body with medications
Doctors recommend choosing this method of treatment. Scabies mainly affects children, so before using any medication, you must carefully study the contraindications. They contain information at what age the drug is approved for use in children.
Basically, potent drugs are contraindicated for children, pregnant women, and lactating women. But soft means will cope with their task no less effectively.
Zinc ointment will quickly destroy the scabies mite and relieve the symptoms of the disease. It fights itching, has a hypoallergenic composition, is not harmful to health and is easy to use.
In addition to Zinc ointment, Benzyl benzoate and Permethrin ointment, Sulfur ointment, Spregal spray, Lindane do an excellent job.
Products available in spray form are easy and convenient to use. There is no need to wait for the ointment to dry or absorb; it does not spoil the patient’s appearance. They can be used to treat not only the patient, but also his environment for preventive purposes.
It is recommended to follow the rules for using all products:
- Before use, you should carefully study the instructions for use.
- In general, drugs are not allowed for use in the hair and face area.
- Before and after the course of treatment, bedding should be changed and the house should be completely disinfected.
Epidemiology
Many people have worked to identify patterns in the occurrence and development of the disease. It was possible to establish with relative certainty only that 5% of cases of skin diseases are scabies. However, these data are valid for peacetime; during periods of war, scabies appeared in 30% of the population. This was due to a sharp deterioration in living conditions, food, hygiene, and the need for large numbers of people to live together. Such social phenomena are also typical for natural disasters or famines, which is why surges in morbidity rates are also observed during such periods.
Studying photographs of scabies mite passages taken at different periods of time, some researchers drew attention to the cyclical occurrence of the disease. So the theory was put forward that scabies appears in autumn and winter (during cold or dry seasons) every 7-30 years. Regarding periodicity, the theory does not stand up to criticism, and seasonality is explained by the biological activity of ticks, their increased fertility and better survival in the external environment in the cold. In addition, in the summer, sweat, which contains antimicrobial peptides, prevents ticks from infiltrating.
Prevention of scabies on the body
Children become infected with scabies quite often because they are constantly in the company of other children. The risk is especially high in kindergartens and schools, so workers should conduct regular examinations of children.
Adults are advised to examine themselves independently. If scabies are detected or itching of unknown cause is observed, it is recommended to consult a specialist for advice.
Also, for prevention purposes, it is necessary to prevent the use of your personal belongings. You cannot take other people's personal belongings, much less wear their clothes. You should closely monitor your child to avoid infection.
It is recommended to sanitize your home more often. It is also better to wash things more often, iron them, and steam them. Disinfecting your entire home is key to your health.
Historical data
Almost everyone has now seen photos of scabies, but this problem was first described in the 4th century BC. Mention of illness can be found in the Bible. Scabies was also described in the works of Aristotle. The ancient Greek philosopher identified it as a skin disease belonging to the “psora” group. In Rome, from ancient times to the present day, the disease is called “scabies”.
Already in the Middle Ages, it was hypothesized that scabies on the skin were caused by parasites. But evidence of this could only appear after the creation of an optical microscope. It was with his help that at the end of the 17th century, the Italian doctor Bonomo and the pharmacist Cestoni established the nature of the infection, and in the middle of the 20th century, a detailed description of scabies appeared in the manual of the Austrian doctor Hebra.
Folk remedies
A photo of scabies on the skin clearly shows how unpleasant and ugly this problem is. You should definitely consult a doctor about it, but the prescribed drug treatment can be supplemented by using traditional medicine recipes.
There are several dozen remedies that help get rid of the unpleasant symptoms of scabies and kill its pathogens. Mustard oil, in which crushed garlic was boiled for 20 minutes in a ratio of 5:1, is highly effective.
Another method involves lubricating the scabies with birch tar, which is left on the skin for 3 hours and then washed off with water or a decoction of herbs. The effectiveness increases significantly when using marshmallow root infusion at the end of the procedure.
A very simple method is to lightly rub crushed chalk into the places where ticks have entered. In addition, the parasite does not tolerate lavender oil. If you rub the skin with it three times a day, unbearable conditions will be created for the mite. The great advantage of this method is the pleasant smell of the oil, which will be felt on the skin. This product differs significantly from traditional sulfur ointments.
Fans of plant and herbal recipes that not only drive out ticks, but also have a general healing effect on the skin will find the following products useful:
- A tincture of 15 g of ivy bud in 100 ml of table vinegar is aged for a week and then strained.
- Boil for 15 minutes and infuse for an hour, a decoction of 25 g of berries and juniper branches in 2 liters of water.
- Ointment mixed from 25 g of dry bay leaf and 100 g of softened butter.
- Juice from lingonberries, fig leaves or milkweed.
Tinctures and decoctions can be used for rubbing or made in large quantities and taken in medicinal baths. Ointments should be applied to the affected areas 2-3 times a day. The juice of useful plants should be lubricated with scabies as often as possible.
