Treatment

If you are looking for an effective treatment, over-the-counter cortisone creams are discouraged. Topical prescription medications are used to treat scabies infestations, including lotions that contain lindane or crotamiton, which are applied from the neck down. Lindane is a pesticide that is associated with neurological damage, poisoning, cancer, and environmental contamination. Its use in adults is controversial and it is no longer used in children.

As a scabies treatment, coating the body with a mixture of petroleum jelly and 5% sulfur for 3 consecutive nights has also proven beneficial. Itching caused by the absorption of mites and their feces into the body can last for weeks, leading people to believe they are still infected.

The lesions caused by scabies should be kept clean to prevent infection. Physicians may advise wearing cotton gloves during and after treatment to prevent breaking the skin by scratching, which can cause secondary infection.

The parasites cannot survive away from the body for more than a few days, so contaminated clothing and bedding can be sanitized by thorough washing in hot water and storing for 1 or 2 weeks.