How Do You Know if your Scabies Treatment Worked?

Scabies being a contagious and parasitic infestation, it is sometimes difficult to treat it completely. Hence there are a few things one should know when it comes to treating scabies. Have a look.

Possibilities after Scabies Treatment
It is not always true to say that the scabies treatment turns successful. People treated for scabies sometimes feel as though the medication did not work. Ineffective treatment or failure leads to frequent doctor visits and surplus use of potentially toxic drugs over multiple treatments. This may also create chances of further infestation, including Crusted scabies – a deadly form of scabies. And, with all this it is not required to mention about the money spent and stress associated with being unable to find a proper treatment.

Here, it would be significant to understand the ways to properly treat scabies and what to expect in the aftermath of cure.

Standard Scabies Treatment
The standard treatment for scabies includes topical ointments and scabicides – medications recommended to treat scabies. To ensure that scabies treatment is successful, proper procedure and guidelines should be followed. 

Often, people are recommended to use permethrin cream to treat scabies. However, with the increase in the extent and number of scabies patients, the permethrin treatment usually fails. Yet another treatment recommended is the Lindane. But, the FDA has banned the use of Lindane for scabies due to its pesticidal properties and that it can lead to cancer and other deadly side-effects.  

Medications like Dr. Scabies that includes natural ingredients like Sulfur and tee tree oil can prove effective in treating scabies. These are over-the-counter medications and do not need doctor’s prescription to buy.

The right way to apply these over the counter cream is: apply the cream 2-3 times a day on a clean and dry skin area. You can use them all over the body. The cream should be left on overnight. This will help the patient get relief from that itching that persists badly at night.

Taking preventive measures are also a must. In the morning, clothes and laundry that have been used by an infested person should be washed. Person's bedding and any other surfaces or items that have been touched by the infested person should also be washed. Things like upholstery, mattresses that cannot be washed should be vacuumed well. The individual should then wash the cream off of the body.

After the initial treatment, this exact routine should be followed a second time for one week so as to kill any mites hatched from eggs that may have survived the initial treatment. Although, there is no known medication that will surely kill the eggs, Dr. Scabies and some of the other natural treatments tend to do so. Plus, it is advisable to strictly follow the treatment by all individuals within the household at the same time, even if they are not experiencing symptoms.

Post Scabies Syndrome: What if the Treatment Didn't Work?

The treatment takes time to show its results. This is because it takes 48-72 hours for the lotion to kill the mites. Even after that, the eggs and feces that are left behind in their burrows may continue to annoy the skin until the body absorbs or expels the debris.

In addition, it is important to know that even though your treatment has started, it is still unlikely to be the end of the itching. The reason of post scabies syndrome is currently unidentified, but many scabies sufferers continue to experience scabies-like symptoms long after the mites have been successfully eliminated.

While some dermatologists believe that these symptoms arose because the body still tries to expel the debris left by the mites, other think that the body may be exhibiting a long-lasting immune reaction to the mites that was once but is no longer there, or possibly to the treatment.

To avoid the potential side effects when using any prescription drug, one should be certain to discuss how to use the medication and the possible side effects that might be hinder your comfort. A medical professional may be able to suggest some less severe alternatives.

Proper checkup, treatment and precautions are a must to treat off the scabies infestation completely in the first go.