I've been hearing a lot about scabies lately but didn't know much about this skin problem. With a little bit of researching, here's what I found out:

Scabies is a skin infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabei, a type of microscopic mite.

These mites can live for 48-72 hours in general, but can live up to a 30 days if living on a person.

Scabies infestation is most common in crowded conditions, such as in hospitals, child-care facilities, nursing homes and other medical institutions. It is spread by frequent and prolonged skin to skin contact with an infected person.

Transfer of the disease can occur during by sharing towels, clothing, and bedding. It can also be spread by sexual activity.

The signs of scabies are these:

pimple like irritations or rashes on the skin, especially in the folds of the skin. Rashes are common between the fingers, in the elbows, behind the knees, and on the penis, under the breasts, and between the shoulder blades.

Scabies is usually accompanied by intense itching over the whole body which is worse at night.

Scratching scabies can lead to sores on the body, which can be dangerous for those with weakened immune systems. Skin sores like these are prone to infection and extra care must be taken to treat these sores before they become worse.

It normally takes 4-6 weeks for the signs of scabies to show up. Unfortunately, there is no immunity to scabies, so people can become infected again and again.

Vitiligo is an acquired skin problem associated with the loss of melanin (color) at various points in the skin. The exact cause is not known, and there are many theories as to why this skin problem occurs.

Newer theories suggest that vitiligo results from some form of early auto-immune disorder, where the body attacks its own cells, starting with the melanocytes (which are responsible for giving skin its color).

A high level of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) was found to be very common in vitiligo patients, especially in young women with vitiligo. Anti-TPO is a sensitive and specific marker for autoimmune thyroid disorders such as Graves' disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis.

This finding suggests that young women with vitiligo should have regular testing to monitor their thyroid function. Regular testing may help identify autoimmune thyroid illness before it causes too much damage.