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Since the late 1940s, lindane lotion has been the traditional therapy for human scabies infestation. Because lindane can be neurotoxic if ingested or overused topically, physicians welcomed the availability of 5% permethrin cream in the late 1980s. Permethrin cream (5%) and the 1% cream rinse used for head lice are considered safe, but little has been published about toxicity from percutaneous absorption. These investigators compared percutaneous and systemic absorption of the commercial preparations.
Percutaneous absorption of 5% permethrin cream and 1% lindane lotion was measured in cadaveric human skin and live guinea pig skin. There was no difference in absorption of the two preparations through guinea pig skin, but human skin was 20 tim…