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Treatment of Scabies

John L. Bezzant,M.D.

Treatment of choice for scabies is to apply permethrin (Elimite) overnight from the neck down, and to ensure that everyone in the patient's family is treated at the same time. The bedding and clothing from the past week should be washed or dry cleaned, or it can be placed in plastic bags and set aside for a week until any scabies mites within the bags die. Some suggest that the Elimite should be applied again overnight to all persons five days after the initial therapy to ensure that any adult mites that are hatching from eggs that are not killed by the first application can be destroyed by the second application.