My husband easily treated for scabies. now lesions disappeared after 1 month. he has a small boil on arm.and a couple on his back. the dermatology doc ssaid boils. how to tell difference.

Appearance,location: Usually scabies lesions are different than boils. They are smaller, red and can have burrows. They are usually located in the webs of fingers/toes, wrists/ankles and waist, but can be more widespread. A boil is larger and often pus-filled.They are usually caused by bacterial infections and need different treatment than scabies.Sometimes a small lesion can get infected and become a boil.

A different disease.: Scabies is caused by microscopic mites that live in human skin: elbows, hands, buttocks, genitals, and has severe, unbearable itching, worse at night. Medicines kill the mite but the itching may persist for months, as an allergy to the dead mites. Scabies is contagious to people who share beds and couches, and the scratching can produce a skin infection, that can cause a boil.

Different appearance: The lesions of scabies tend to be smaller & more numerous than "boils, " and also located in different locations. Scabies are most commonly found in between fingers & on wrists, while "boils" or cysts are more commonly found on hair-bearing areas like the arms an back & are centered around a hair follicle while scabies lesions are not. Also, scabies is intensely itchy and "boils" are more tender.

SCABIES: Can be difficult to tell, often the fact that they respond to treatment gives us the answer.

Staph bacteria: We are having an awful problem with resistant staph bacteria. Some patients are carriers and others will get frequent boils on there body. You may need to see infectious disease specialist.

Listen to doctor: Dermatologists are experts on skin conditions. They go to school for many years to get that way. They are far and away the best persons to differentiate between boils and scabies. They are very different lesions and easy to determine what they are - if you are trained.

By examination: Your dermatologist told you it is not scabies , caused by mite buried d in the layers of skin, make tracts, reaction, itching, usually in hands and feet formation of boils uncommon , so do not worry. Microscopic examination of skin scrapings will show mites, eggs, it excretions could be done if your husband really want it done.