Scabies is a skin condition caused by tiny mites (super small bugs) called Sarcoptes scabiei that burrow into your skin and lay eggs. Intense itching occurs in the area where the mite burrows. This causes itchy rashes and irritation.
The scabies mite is very small, about the size of the tip of a needle, and very difficult to see. It’s white to creamy white. It has eight legs and a round body.
Don’t worry — the mites are too small to see without a microscope, but they can make you super itchy!
The rash can look different depending on your skin colour. It might be red, brown, or grey. It can look like hives, bug bites, or pimples, and sometimes it shows up in a line on your skin.
Main signs:
Intense itching, especially at night
Tiny red bumps, blisters, or rash
Thin, wavy lines on the skin (these are the mites' burrows!)
Thin, wavy tunnels made up of tiny blisters or bumps on the skin and are not easy to see.
Between fingers and toes
In the armpits
Around the waist
On the wrists and inner elbows
On the feet (soles), chest, and around the nipples
Around the belly button, genitals, groin, and buttocks
For babies and young children, scabies is often seen on:
Fingers
Face, scalp, and neck
Palms of the hands
Soles of the feet
If you've had scabies before, symptoms can show up within a few days. If it’s your first time, it might take up to six weeks to notice anything. But you can still pass it to others even if you don’t have symptoms yet.
Scabies itself isn’t deadly, but it’s very uncomfortable.
If you scratch too much, you can break the skin and cause infections.
Also — it won’t go away on its own. You need treatment to kill the mites.
Clothes
Bedding
Towels
Doctors usually give you:
Prescription creams or lotions you apply to your whole body (not just the itchy spots)
Sometimes pills if creams aren’t enough
You usually need to treat your close family members too, even if they don’t have symptoms, just to be safe!
To stop scabies from coming back or spreading to others, do these things:
Wash clothes and bedding: Use hot water and soap to wash anything you’ve worn or used in the past 3 days—like clothes, towels, and sheets. Then dry them on high heat. If you can't wash something, dry-clean it.
Seal items you can't wash: Put things like stuffed animals or pillows in a plastic bag for a week. Without food (your skin), the mites will die in a few days.
Avoid close contact with others until you're fully treated
Clean your home: Vacuum your furniture, carpets, and floors to get rid of any mites or skin flakes, especially if someone has a more serious form of scabies.
Follow your doctor's instructions carefully!
Myth: Only dirty people get scabies.
Fact: Scabies can happen to anyone, no matter how clean they are. It’s about close contact with an infected person, not hygiene or cleanliness.
Myth: Scabies can jump from one person to another instantly.
Fact: Scabies usually needs prolonged skin-to-skin contact to spread. A quick hug or handshake usually isn’t enough to catch it.
Myth: You can get scabies from your pet.
Fact: Human scabies is caused by a different type of mite than the ones pets might have. Pets don’t spread human scabies.
Myth: Washing yourself a lot will get rid of scabies.
Fact: Good hygiene helps prevent infections, but once you have scabies, only prescription creams or pills can kill the mites — not just soap and water.
Myth: Once you treat scabies, the itching stops immediately.
Fact: Even after treatment, your skin can keep itching for several weeks while it heals. That’s normal and doesn’t mean the mites are still alive.
Myth: Scabies will go away on its own if you wait long enough.
Fact: Scabies needs treatment to go away. If you don’t treat it, it will just keep getting worse and spreading to others.
Myth: Only the person who’s itching needs treatment.
Fact: Everyone who had close contact with the infected person should be treated — even if they don’t have symptoms yet — to stop it from spreading again.
Talk to your doctor if you have signs of scabies.
Other skin problems like eczema or dermatitis can also cause itching and bumps.Your skin specialist can find the exact cause of your symptoms and can give the right treatment accordingly.
Some creams or allergy pills (like antihistamines) might help with the itching, but they won’t kill the scabies mites or their eggs—you’ll need proper treatment for that.
If you're super itchy — especially at night — and you see a rash, don’t wait! Talk to a doctor and get it treated fast!
Early treatment and proper cleaning of clothes and bedding make a big difference. Scabies is common — but easily beatable with the right steps!
Disclaimer: This article is only for general patient information and is not intended for self medication. There is no legal liability of IADVL arising out of any adverse consequence to the patient. Subsequent to its use for self treatment of the disease images adjust for the depiction of the condition and is not to be used for any other purpose.
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