subject: Are Bleach Baths Effective for Scabies? [print this page] A lot of people get misdiagnosed, especially since the symptoms of scabies are could be easily mistaken for other skin related diseases. Scabies is an infectious skin condition and is caused by the underlying parasites known as mites. Several medications are existent in the market; however most of them come with adverse side effects. For an instance, Permethrin cream is one of the widely used tropical treatments for scabies but it often worsens the rash and causes a great amount of discomfort.
However, in the recent past, it has been observed that bathing in chlorine-concentrated water would help in eliminating scabies. Such water content is usually found in swimming pools. On the other hand, scabies is an infectious skin condition and you are most likely to spread the infection to others if you choose to bathe in public pools. Therefore, it would be suggestive not to use bleach in your bathing water at home or at all when it comes to scabies.
Secondly, quite a lot of people are allergic to bleach; therefore you must carefully use it on things around your house to disinfect. In most cases, it has also been observed that the use of bleach would increase the itching sensations that come with scabies. But since bleach used to be important ingredient for lice treatment, it is thought it may perhaps work to eliminate scabies mites as well, which is simply not the case. We suggest if anything, you can use a mixture of Epsom salts and borax in hot water to reduce the itching. Lastly, it would be mandatory to maintain hygiene, so as to prevent the infestation from spreading on to the other members of the family.
