It can take some time for symptoms to appear this can be from two to six weeks after exposure which usually includes severe and continuous itching. This is more pronounced at night.
What does scabies look like?
• Scabies lesions can present in different forms. The skin may show signs of small insect-type bites, or the lesions may look like pimples or blisters, especially around the wrist, elbow, knee, underarm area, groin, or finger webbing. The skin may also be red or have sores which will become more pronounced due to scratching of the area.
• A “burrow”, a short S-shaped track that indicates the scabies mite’s movement under the skin, may also be visible. This is more evident in the webs area of fingers and toes. Burrows can be very small and are often overlooked. So, scabies also should be considered whenever there is intense itching even without any obvious signs of symptoms as described here.
• Scabies frequently occur in cracks or fissures of the body such as between the fingers and toes, the buttocks, the elbows, the waist area, the genital area, and under the breasts in women. As a general rule the face, neck, palms, soles, and lips are usually not affected, however this is not the case in infants or very young children.
• Risk factors such as immune suppression or old age may predispose patients to more extensive disease. In crusted, also known as Norwegian scabies, the body is covered with a thick, dry, and scaly rash. The rash of crusted scabies may or may not itch, however it may contain millions of mites. Crusted scabies is the most contagious form of scabies and the hardest to treat.
• Many other skin rashes may look like scabies including allergic drug reactions, dermatitis and viral rashes such as shingles.
if you suspect you have scabies please see a doctor, because treatment of the condition requires medication. Also, other conditions may cause rashes that itch, and it is important to have the correct diagnosis when considering treatment options.
