A Complete Guide to Scabies - Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
What Causes Scabies?
Human scabies is caused by the burrowing and egg laying activities of the female sarcoptes scabei mite, which is also known as the human itch mite.
The intensely painful itch itself is caused by the skin's reaction to the toxins released by the mites as they burrow and lay eggs in their tunnels.
This mite is actually an arachnid, which means it is related to spiders. Although the scabies mite tunnels into the skin of it's human host, it never goes deep enough to get below the stratum corneum layer, instead, it leaves a trail of itchy raised threadlike tunnels just beneath the suface of the skin.
The female mite deposits about three oval eggs into the
burrows per day as she makes her way under the skin. These eggs
will hatch in about four days and the newly hatched larvae take
up residence in moulting puches for an additional two to three
days to molt.
Not everyone wants to use what is basically a toxic chemical to treat something as simple as scabies. Unfortunately this is the norm.
The sad truth is that although there are several scabies treatment marketers who are advertising a 24 hour cure, there is no known 24 hour cure for scabies. What you can do, however, is treat the itching and burning and get almost immediate relief. The mites take a bit longer to get rid of completely.
The pictures of the scabies rash on this site and others we link to are brutally honest and may not be suitable for children and sensitive viewers. We believe they are important to display because you need to know what you're looking for on your own skin. Luckily there are several good treatments available online so you can soon say goodbye to the annoying itch and rash!
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