Causes, Symptoms, and Helpful Home Remedies for Scabies

Scabies is a highly contagious skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow beneath the skin's surface, leading to intense itching and discomfort, but home remedies for scabies can come in handy to get rid of this uncomfortable feeling.

While seeking professional medical advice is crucial, natural home remedies for scabies can provide relief and complement conventional medical treatments. This article explores the causes, symptoms, and effective home remedies for scabies treatment.

Home Remedies for Scabies: What is Scabies?

Scabies itch mites can lead to extreme discomfort to the suffering individual by causing sore skin, blisters and secondary infections (Image by Brgfx on Freepik)

"Sarcoptes scabies" mites are the parasite whose infestation results in scabies. This illness is extremely contagious because these tiny mites spread through direct skin-to-skin contact. Once infected, these mites delve into the top layers of the skin, where they deposit their eggs, causing the scabies-specific symptoms.

Hence, it is highly essential to seek medical care at the earliest to prevent the spread of scabies to surrounding people. Some old home remedies for scabies are especially useful to stop the growth of these mites and prevent symptoms of scabies from progressing further.

Causes and Symptoms of Scabies

Use of only prescribed lotions and creams should be done on Scabies-ridden skin patches (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Scabies are primarily spread through close personal contact with an infected individual. It can also be transmitted via sharing contaminated bedding, clothing, or towels. Crowded living conditions, such as dormitories or nursing homes, increase the risk of scabies transmission.

Some common symptoms of scabies include:

Extreme Itchiness: The foremost symptom of scabies is relentless itching, which worsens during the evening or night.

Blistering: As the condition progresses, appearance of blisters and pustules can be seen.

Red and Irritated Skin: Patches of skin become red and inflamed due to scabies, which become more evident at night.

Scratching Sores: Continuous scratching leads to open sores, that can lead to further bacterial infestation.

Tiny Bumps: Small, raised bumps become visible on the skin which can cause a feeling of irritation.

Effective Home Remedies for Scabies Treatment

As much as physical turmoil may be caused by scabies, like the constant itchiness, the sore skin, the blisters, and other issues, it is possible to treat scabies using some simple and effective home remedies for scabies.

If you are diagnosed with scabies, then you can make use of these home remedies after consulting your dermatologist.

1. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera gel can be used for sore skin, pimples and acne treatment as well (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Certain studies suggest aloe vera to be as effective in curing scabies as medical prescriptions! It has highly soothing properties, which can provide you relief from the itchiness associated with scabies.

2. Turmeric

Turmeric is a common spice used in Indian households which can boost immunity (Image by Jigsawstocker on Freepik)

It is not yet a proven treatment for Scabies, but turmeric can be used along side proper medications to get improved results and get rid of those irritating mites from your skin.

3. Zinc

Zinc supplements are a good addition to diet to ensure healthy skin (Image by Azerbaijan_stockers on Freepik)

Inclusion of Zinc in your diet has numerous skin benefits. It prevents the occurrence of secondary infections that are sometimes observed after scabies.

4. Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne Pepper helps in aiding digestion and promoting a better metabolic rate (Image by Jcomp on Freepik)

Cayenne Pepper contains a chemical known as ‘Capsaicin’ which has the potential to provide relief from scabies-related itchiness by desensitizing the skin. However, it should only be used after consulting a medical expert.

5. Neem

Neem is a common plant in Indian subcontinent and is being used since ancient time to cure ailments (Image by Vijayakumar Bingi on Vecteezy)

The medicinal properties of neem cannot be overstated, and the proof is the Ayurveda textbooks. Include neem oil or neem paste in speeding up your scabies treatment at home. Neem has anti-inflammatory properties which can soothe your infection-ridden skin.

6. Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil originally is very concentrated and so, it should be used in highly diluted amount only as one of the home remedies for scabies (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Tea tree oil has calming and anti-inflammatory properties that makes it a popular home remedy for scabies. It shows very significant reduction in scabies symptoms but may not be effective completely in removal of mite eggs.

In conclusion, scabies is a skin disease associated with a species of mite that penetrate into the skin layer and cause extreme discomfort because of continuous itching. While medical treatment is the foremost step, the treatment can be aided by some home remedies for scabies that work like wonders, like neem oil, cayenne pepper, zinc supplements, and more.

Some other things to keep in mind to prevent the spread of scabies is to wash the clothing and bedding properly. Borax and bleach have good anti-bacterial properties, and thus, can be used for washing clothes. Vacuum your house properly and maintain a hygienic environment to put a stop to the further spread of scabies.

Edited by Susrita Das