Symptoms, Appearance & Treatment of Scabies
Scabies is a highly contagious skin infection caused by the presence of tiny mites. People infected with scabies exhibit uncomfortable symptoms that require medical treatment.
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Symptoms
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Symptoms of scabies include a red skin rash and itching that is usually worse at night. Scratching the scabies rash may result in the formation of sores, reports the Mayo Clinic.
Appearance
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The rash caused by scabies is usually bright red and resembles tiny blisters. It is commonly accompanied by small red trails that look like thin, red pencil lines, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Scabies is most likely to appear in the folds of the skin of adults and on the scalp, face, neck, palms and soles of the feet of children, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Treatment
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Doctors prescribe topical medication to treat scabies, such as permethrin or crotamiton.
Time Frame
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Typically, the prescription medications used to treat scabies kill the mites within 24 to 48 hours; however, itching from the rash can last up to 2 weeks.
Self-care
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Any clothing, towels and linens that you used while you were infected with scabies need to be washed in hot, soapy water and dried fully using high heat. Items that you cannot wash should be dry cleaned to prevent re-infection. Until the itching subsides, you may alleviate symptoms by using cool compresses, taking baths, using calamine lotion and taking over-the-counter antihistamines like diphenhydramine.
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