How to know if I have scabies on the skin: symptoms and how to treat it with tea tree oil

Scabies is not a disease with a good image because it is associated with poor hygiene, but it is an infection that can be contracted more easily than you think. In fact, due to factors related to the covid pandemic, right now we are experiencing an upturn in the incidence.

Experts aren’t sure what’s causing this increase, but point to increased time spent at home with other people and delays in medical care.

How do I know if I have scabies on my skin?

Scabies is a parasitic infestation in which mites Sarcoptes scabei they burrow under the skin and cause severe itching, often worse at night.

Symptoms may include: hives-like skin rashes and that appear first between the fingers or on the elbows, knees, wrists, buttocks, around the breasts, in the male genital area or on the waist.

Mites can also burrow under fingernails or in areas of skin under the watch or rings.

Scabies itches because the immune system responds to the presence of mites, their eggs and their waste. A complication is that a secondary infection by bacteria (staphylococci or streptococci) occurs in which wounds that can be produced by scratching. These infections cause redness, swelling, warmth, and pain, as well as a honey-colored pus ooze.

Scabies can become a serious problem in people with weakened immune systems and in people living in rehabilitation centers and nursing homes.

If the condition becomes chronic, a more serious and highly contagious form of scabies called crusted scab or “Norwegian scab”, which causes a hard, scaly rash that covers large areas of the body and can be difficult to treat.

Causes of scabies

Sarcoptes scabei It is a microscopic mite with eight legs. The females burrow just under the skin, creating a tunnel in which they lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in about three weeks, after which the new mites hatch and can spread to other areas of the skin or to other people.

Close physical contact and, less frequently, sharing clothes or bedding with an infected person you can spread the mites.

The mites can live up to a month on the human body, but cannot survive more than 48-72 hours elsewhere, and washing kills them.

One type of scabies affects pets, but people cannot get it because it is caused by another type of mite that does not survive on the human body.

Scabies: conventional treatment

Always a doctor needs to make a diagnosis to avoid confusion, as some people may believe they have scabies when they actually have dermatitis or other skin conditions.

Conventional medicine treats scabies with permethrin, lindane or malathion. They are powerful insecticides available only by prescription. Normally the application of a cream with 5% permethrin. It is applied all over the body, left on for 8-12 hours and then washed off with a shower.

Alternatively, the doctor can prescribe the antiparasitic ivermectinwhich is taken orally.

This treatment eliminates mites, although itching can persist for several weeks because the immune system continues to respond to the presence of the eggs, debris, and dead mites. To reduce this itching, antihistamines may be prescribed.

The insecticides used to treat scabies can cause side effects (they can, for example, cause asthma, especially in children) and, in the worst case, an excess dose could harm the nervous system, since it is treated of neurotoxic substances.

How to cure human scabies fast with natural remedies

Scabies cannot be treated solely with more hygiene or the application of balsamic creams. It is essential to eradicate the mite, but it is worth consulting with the doctor the initial application of a mild treatment.

Dr. Andrew Weil, a specialist in integrative medicine, proposes two options:

Apply a 1% permethrin cream (you can prepare it at the pharmacy) Turn to tea tree oil (neem, obtained from the tree Azadirachta indica) diluted in a base oil in equal parts (for example, one tablespoon of tea tree oil and one tablespoon of sweet almond oil or olive oil).

You can find neem oil in herbalists and organic stores. Make sure that it is pure essential oil, if possible, organically produced.

To treat itching, you can apply certified natural balms with calendula or the traditional Chinese remedy Tiger Balm.

You can also applyr wipes dipped in cold water in irritated areas.

Once the infection by mites has been eliminated, to reduce itching and balance the immune response, some technique of relaxation, visualization or meditation. Breathing exercises and yoga also help.

Prevention of infection with scabies

To prevent reinfestation and spread of the mites to other people, wash all clothes, towels and bedding with hot water (at least 60ºC) and detergent that you have used in the three days prior to the treatment If you have a dryer, use it at a high temperature. Items you don’t want to wash or dry on high heat can Store them in a tightly closed bag for two weeks. Besides, Carefully vacuum the entire house and discard the vacuum bag.