Why scabies will not go away without the uses of certain meds, cream from doctors?
In: Biology
Scabies is caused by an infestation by a type of skin mite. The symptoms we associate with scabies are caused by them tunnelling under the skin and leaving poop deposits as they go, triggering an allergic response.
Since they spend most of their time under the surface, we can’t get rid of them with normal hygiene practices. Also; the mites can live for up to 3 days away from their host (us), while eggs can potentially survive even longer. So even if you did wash off any mites on the surface, the ones below the surface would survive and they, along with mites from your clothing and bedding, would quickly recolonize the surface of the skin.
Using medicated creams that get absorbed by the skin basically poisons the buggers. This is only part of the solution though. All your bedding and clothing should be laundered and tumble dried, couches and chairs vacuumed, to get rid of any mites and eggs that can form a reservoir for reinfestation.
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