Duration

If treated correctly, the rash caused by mites usually heals without consequences within one to two weeks, but the tormenting itching can also continue beyond the visible rash and only stop some time after successful treatment. If the rash is treated insufficiently, incorrectly or not at all, it may even become chronic under certain circumstances, which is caused by a permanent colonization of the skin with mites. If the disease has already become chronic, however, in some cases spontaneous healing may still occur years later.

What can I do in case of a rash caused by mites?

The skin rash caused by mites or scabies is usually treated with mite-specific medication, which can either be applied directly to the skin or taken as a tablet. On the one hand, these drugs kill already existing mites and their eggs, and on the other hand they prevent a renewed infection, if there are also infected persons in the immediate vicinity. Permethrin, an artificial insecticide, can be used externally as a cream.

It is applied to the skin once or several times and is washed off after 8-12 hours of exposure. Alternatively, other creams with the active ingredients allethrin or benzyl benzoate can be tried. The active ingredient ivermectin is to be taken in tablet form in two applications with an interval of 8-14 days.

In addition to this specific drug therapy, it is also advisable to treat the surrounding area, to eliminate hygienic problems and to thoroughly clean clothes and bed linen. If scabies occurs in communal facilities, the affected persons must be isolated from the others and strict hygienic safety precautions must be observed. As for the non-drug treatment measures for skin rashes caused by mites, the most important thing is: do not scratch!Scratching aggravates the itching and can provide new entry points for additional pathogens through injuries to the skin.

Other measures include changing and cleaning worn clothing and used bedding daily to remove any mites it may contain. The affected skin areas can be rubbed with tea tree or lavender oil, this primarily takes away the itching and also has an antibacterial and antiparasitic effect. Daily bathing (full bath) can also reduce the number of mites, but in this case you must also ensure that the towels used are cleaned directly.

If children are affected by mites, the cleaning of used cuddly toys or toys must also be considered. Vinegar can also be applied to the affected skin, which kills the parasites, and cold, moist compresses also relieve itching. A possible homeopathic approach to the treatment of a rash caused by mites is the application of a hot full bath followed by rubbing in with an ointment of Peru balsam and fat or lysol and olive oil. This is repeated on three consecutive evenings and concluded with a second hot full bath. The itching can be soothed with an embrocation with sulfur VI, vinegar water or lanolin.