Scabies treatment Malaysia
Dr. Chu Kooi Yen has been providing Scabies treatment in Malaysia for more than 2 decades. Here is Dr. Chu explaining what you should know about Scabies:
What is scabies
Scabies is a very itchy skin problem caused by the infestation of tiny Sarcoptes Scabiei mites which burrows into the skin and lay eggs there. It usually occurs between the fingers, folds of wrist/elbow or knee and around the waist area. In males, the genitals are often affected. In children, scabies often affects head, face, palms and soles. The relentless itching is usually worse at night.
Who can get scabies
Anyone can get scabies, but those at higher risk includes sexually active adults, prison inmates, people in institutional care, people living in crowded conditions and people in child care facilities.
Scabies usually spreads through close prolonged contact that gives the mites time to crawl from one person to another or sharing personal items, such as bedding or towels. It is not likely to spread through a quick handshake or hug. The scabies mite can’t jump or fly, and it crawls very slowly.
Dogs and cats get scabies (mange) too. However, canine scabies and feline scabies mites can’t reproduce in human skin and they usually die off without causing serious skin symptoms.
Diagnosing scabies
Usually a doctor can identify scabies based on the appearance of the rash (raised track-like burrows in the skin) and your description of the itch.
Most people with scabies only carry 10 to 15 mites at any given time, and each mite is less than half a millimeter long. This makes them very difficult to spot. To the naked eye, they may look like tiny black dots on the skin. Sometimes a skin scraping is used to confirm the diagnosis. A microscope can identify mites, eggs, or fecal matter from the skin scraping.
How to Treat Scabies, Scabies treatment in Malaysia.
Without treatment, scabies will not go away on its own. It can only be cured with prescription medicated cream or lotion which is applied to the entire body from the neck down after a shower. It is left on overnight and then rinsed off. In severe cases, a doctor may prescribe pills to treat scabies. Although prescriptions can kill mites and their eggs, they don’t provide immediate itch relief. Antihistamines are prescribed to control itching, especially at night.
Who and What Needs to Be Treated?
Anyone who has close physical contact with the patient should also receive treatment for scabies infestation. Doctors usually recommend treating all members of the household, even if symptoms are not present. (it can take four to six weeks for symptoms to appear.)
Scabies mites can live up to two to three days on the surface of clothes, bedding, or towels. All worn clothings, bed linens and pillow cases used by the affected person within the past three days should be washed in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer or under the sun. Items that can’t be washed should be placed in a sealed plastic bag for seven days.
How Soon Will Scabies Go Away?
Scabies medications can kill the mites and eggs quickly, and patients can usually return to school or work 24 hours after starting treatment. However, the itch may persist for a few weeks due to an ongoing allergic reaction in the skin. If the itching continues for more than four weeks or a new rash appears, please see your doctor. It may be necessary to reapply the scabies medication.
Dr Chu Kooi Yen
MBBS (Malaya)
Medical Aesthetic LCP (MOH, M’sia)
Dip Dermatology (Thailand)
Dip Aesthetic Medicine (AAAM)
Dip Preventive
Regenerative and Anti-aging Medicine (US)
Fellowship in Dermato-Laser Surgery (Thailand)
Msc Anti-aging, Regenerative and Medical Aesthetic (M’sia
