Permethrin Treatment for Scabies and Lice Infestations

Treatment Guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends applying 5% permethrin cream to all areas of the body from the neck down and washing off after 8-14 hours for scabies treatment, and applying 1% permethrin creme rinse to affected areas and washing off after 10 minutes for lice treatment 1
For pregnant or lactating women, permethrin 5% cream is considered safe and is the preferred treatment option, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1, 2
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends applying permethrin 1% creme rinse to affected areas for 10 minutes before washing off for pubic lice treatment, and using warm water to minimize absorption through vasodilation 3, 4

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends decontaminating bedding and clothing by machine washing and drying using the hot cycle, or dry cleaning, and treating sexual partners from the previous month for lice infestations 1
For scabies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends treating both sexual and close personal or household contacts within the last month 3
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against applying permethrin to the eyes, and recommends applying occlusive ophthalmic ointment to the eyelid margins twice daily for 10 days for eyelash infestations with lice 1

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends considering alternative regimens such as ivermectin if standard treatment fails 1