Eurax for Scabies
Scabies is an itchy skin condition which is caused by the itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei. These mites are very tiny and are not available to the naked eye but can be detected with a magnifying glass or a microscope.
Scabies mites can be transmitted to a person by a close contact, hand shaking, sharing bed cloths that had mites in them. Sexual contact is also considered to be a perfect transmission way for scabies mites. Thus, the disease is extremely contagious and is also easily spread in crowded conditions.
The symptoms of the skin disorder are rashes looking like small red bumps and blisters. The disease affects specific areas of the body like the webs between the fingers, the wrists and the backs of the elbows, the knees, around the waist and umbilicus, the sides and backs of the feet, the genital area and the buttocks.
It is important to be aware of the fact that the symptoms of scabies do not appear immediately after a person has been infested with the scabies mite. So, a person can spread the infection without any knowing of having it. When the symptoms develop, itching is the most common index of the scabies. At first the itching is characterized as mild and relentless with its becoming almost intolerable while the disease is progressing. This type of itch keeps people from falling asleep at night. One should also take a note that scabies is very easy to misdiagnose because early subtle cases may look like small pimples or mosquito bites. But over a few weeks patients start feeling worse with the symptoms which they cannot neglect.
What is the treatment for scabies? Doctors usually prescribe a medicated cream or a lotion to kill the mites. The cream will need to be applied to the skin all over the body, not just the area with the rash and usually must remain on the skin for 8 to 12 hours before it can be washed off. One of the most commonly prescribed medications is Eurax. It is an effective drug which has been approved for treatment of scabies. It contains a scabicidial ingredient called Crotamiton which eradicated scabies mites and their eggs. Crotamiton relieves severe itching caused by the disease. It evaporates from the skin and produces a cooling effect which helps smooth the condition.
Eurax should be applied to the well-dried skin. The medicine should be spread so that it would cover the entire skin surface from the chin down and rub in well. The medicine particularly should reach folds and creases in the skin, hands and feet, the areas between fingers and toes and moist areas such as underarms and the groin. The first coat of the medicine should not be washed off. The second coat should be applied 24 hours after the first one. In order to prevent reinfection it is essential to put on freshly washed or dry-cleaned clothing and change bed sheets. One should not share the medication with others and be ready that people with whom they come in contact may also be infected.