Perclear

Indications

Permethrin is used on the skin and hair to treat:

• Scabies (an itchy rash caused by tiny mites that burrow under the skin), using 5% cream
• Head lice, using 1% lotion or cream rinse

How It Works

It acts on the nerves of mites and lice, paralysing and killing them and their eggs. Very little is absorbed into the body.

Dosage and Administration

Scabies (5% cream), adults and older children: after a bath, let the skin cool and dry. Apply thinly to the whole body from the neck down, including between the fingers and toes, under the nails, the wrists, armpits, genitals and soles of the feet. Leave on for 8 to 12 hours (usually overnight), then wash off. Reapply to the hands if you wash them during this time. A second treatment after 7 days is often advised. Elderly people, young children and people with weak immunity may also need the scalp, face and ears treated, as advised by a doctor. Children under 2 years: only as prescribed.

Head lice (1% lotion): wash hair with ordinary shampoo, towel dry, apply enough to soak the hair and scalp, leave for 10 minutes, then rinse. Comb with a fine-tooth comb. Repeat after 7 days if live lice are seen.

Interactions

No important interactions with other medicines are known. Do not use other skin creams on the same area at the same time unless advised.

Contraindications

Allergy to Permethrin, other pyrethroids or pyrethrins (including chrysanthemum flowers), or any ingredient of the product.

Side Effects

Common: itching, burning, stinging, tingling or redness of the skin. Itching after scabies treatment can last 2 to 4 weeks even when the mites are dead; this does not mean the treatment failed.

Get urgent medical help if you have swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing or a widespread rash. See a doctor if the skin becomes very red, blistered or infected.

Pregnancy and Lactation

Permethrin is one of the preferred treatments for scabies and lice in pregnancy, used on a doctor's advice. It can be used while breastfeeding; wash the cream off the breasts before feeding and reapply afterwards.

Precautions and Warnings

• For external use only. Keep away from the eyes, mouth and inside the nose; rinse with water if it gets in the eyes.
• Treat all close contacts and family members at the same time, even without symptoms.
• Wash clothes, towels and bedding used in the last 3 days in hot water, or seal them in a bag for 3 days.
• Do not use on broken or infected skin without medical advice.

Overdose

Too much on the skin may increase irritation; wash it off. If swallowed, contact a doctor or hospital.

Therapeutic Class

Scabicide and pediculicide (treatment for scabies and lice), pyrethroid type.

Storage

Store below 30°C in a dry place, away from light and out of the reach of children. Do not freeze.