Treat Scabies Correctly – These are eight mistakes that will make your itching go on forever – 2024-03-07 02:18:14

Scabies in the capital region. Small scabies epidemics have also occurred in other places in Finland, and in places in daycare centers and nursing homes.

Scabies has been described as “hell on earth”. Getting rid of the disease is usually not easy, effortless or economical, as the treatment process includes several steps that no one wants to repeat the obligatory number of times.

Iltalehti found out what are the most common and fatal mistakes in getting rid of scabies.

Don’t screw these up

1) Scabies is not recognized

General medicine specialist Kajsa Järvinen Pihlajalinnas says that the first challenge in the treatment of scabies is the problems related to its identification. The skin can itch for many reasons, and the appearance of scabies symptoms only 3-6 weeks after infection can make it difficult to recognize the disease.

– The rash can be so different in different people, because it is the skin’s reaction to the secretions of the scabies mite, says Järvinen.

2) Not everyone is treated at the same time

A sure way to stay in the scabies cycle is to leave someone close to you with or exposed to scabies untreated. Järvinen recommends that everyone who has been in close contact with a person with scabies in the last few weeks be notified of the infection.

– The treatments should be given to all those exposed at the same time, he emphasizes and adds that, for example, you should only return to daycare when the scabies treatment is done.

It is important that people living in the same household and other close contacts are treated, regardless of whether symptoms occur or not.

According to Järvinen, it’s not worth being ashamed of scabies, but it should be told openly so that everyone concerned can be treated.

3) The cream is applied poorly

When scabies is diagnosed, one of the most used treatments is an over-the-counter 5% permethrin cream. However, the drug is not foolproof, as some ticks have developed resistance to it. Some still get relief through medicine.

According to Järvinen, the most common mistake in cream treatment is that it is not applied to every corner of the body.

– It’s about putting it everywhere, including between the fingers, under the nails and on the external genitalia.

Scabies medicines have been out of control, especially during the past winter due to the drastic increase in scabies cases. OUTI JARVINE

The neck, nape, armpits, navel, buttocks, groin, between the toes and soles of the feet should also not be forgotten in lubrication. If the symptoms are on the face or scalp, the cream should be applied to those areas as well.

However, you shouldn’t poke the mucous membranes.

You should remember to add another layer of cream if you wash your hands or go to the toilet during the night, for example.

4) Too little cream is applied

According to Järvinen, one tube of permethrin cream is enough for a normal-sized adult.

If you have a larger size, you should buy two tubes, so that you can definitely get enough cream for the whole body. The second tube also ensures that there is enough cream for reapplying, for example, after washing hands.

The dosage of permethrin cream for children under the age of 12 is explained in more detail in the package leaflet.

5) Sleeping in covering clothes

According to Järvinen, it is important to wear clothes that cover the entire body after the cream has been applied. Socks should be slipped on the feet and cotton gloves on the hands.

– Otherwise, the cream is there in the sheets, he says.

6) The cream treatment is too short

– Then it (the cream) should work for at least 12 hours, that’s a long time. I would like it to be on the body even longer, Järvinen reminds.

If you want to play it safe, there is no harm in even a 24-hour period of effectiveness.

When the cream has worked long enough, it is washed off the body. Before taking a shower, you should take the old sheets off the bed and put them in the washing machine.

Scabies is no longer contagious 24 hours after the end of the first treatment.

7) Cleaning is not done properly

Scab cleaning can be a daunting task, but you shouldn’t be lazy about it. According to Järvinen, the scabies mite can live up to 1.5 days on surfaces or textiles.

– It’s enough just one mite there somewhere, he reminds.

– It’s better to be unnecessarily neurotic (with cleaning), because then it’s boring if you can’t get everything properly taken care of.

When cleaning, all surfaces in the home should be wiped with detergent, not forgetting door handles and household appliances. You should also extend the vacuuming to the mattress and sofas. Pillows, blankets and mattress should be properly ventilated.

Sheets, towels and other used textiles should be washed at least at 60 degrees. If all textiles or toys cannot be washed at such a high temperature, they should be put in the freezer for a day or isolated for a week in a tight plastic bag.

Using rubber gloves helps to ensure that ticks crawling on surfaces or textiles cannot get back on the skin.

8) The treatment is not repeated

Points 1-7 should be repeated 7-10 days after the first treatment.

– The treatment must be renewed after 7–10 days, because the scabies mite may have laid eggs. Then those eggs hatch, and the disease starts again, says Järvinen.

Itching of the skin may continue for several weeks after the second treatment. This does not necessarily mean that the treatment has failed. According to Järvinen, post-itching can be eased with, for example, cortisone ointment and antihistamines.

If the passages formed by the scabies mite appear on the skin again or the symptoms otherwise get worse, you should see a doctor.

– Permitrin cream has been very effective in the past, but nowadays some of the scabies mites are no longer killed by it. Then you should see a doctor, who can prescribe an ivermectin tablet and sulfur-vaseline cream, he says.

You should also seek treatment if the scabies are severe, extensive, or the skin is inflamed.