Scabies

Many have heard of someone having a scabies rash but what is scabies? Simply put, scabies is a skin infection that is caused by microscopic mites that like to bury into a person's skin to lay eggs. As these eggs hatch, larvae will move about the skin. The result is a rash that typically mistaken for an allergic reaction. As is characteristic with symptoms of scabies, the sufferer experiences a powerfully intense itching sensation with bites resembling pimple like lesions. The rash is likely to be found in areas of the body where the skin creases, such as the waist, under breasts, between fingers, toes or buttocks.

Contrary to some thoughts on scabies and its causes, it is not a sign of poor personal hygiene. It affects people across all gender, income and racial lines. Scabies is passed through close contact with another infested person. The time between contact, infestation and developing scabies symptoms can take weeks and as some progression pictures of scabies show, treatment can also take weeks. Some scabies pictures are able to show the burrows from scabies that are commonly found in the skin. Doctors often use these burrows to confirm a case of the infection as scabies symptoms are often mistaken for other afflictions.

Treating scabies consists of not only prescription medication in the form of permethrin cream but a full scale cleaning of an environment to do away with mites and eggs that can be living in sheets, curtains or carpet. It can take several repeats to keep re-infestations from occurring as any eggs laid in the skin that aren't killed during treatment can later hatch. As pictures of a scabies rash will sometimes show, the raised itchy bumps can also be scratched open, leading to infection. A topical antibiotic cream helps to heal any opened rashes. An oral antihistamine is sometimes helpful in controlling the itch.

Animals have their own type of scabies that can be contagious to humans. Scabies on dogs is known as Sarcoptic mange. In a dog presenting scabies, photo will show a distinct skin affliction that causes hair loss and even weight loss. The most prescribed scabies treatment in these types of cases is a benzoyl peroxide wash with a sulfur dip that is repeated over several weeks. Many new products that bypass harsh chemicals are being used as a scabies cure and are said to be quite effective.