You might think that you won’t get scabies, but don’t forget millions of people suffer from this skin condition and those are just the numbers of people who reported it. There are also many people who do not even know they have scabies. It doesn’t matter which gender, race, social status, or age you have, everybody has a chance of getting infected. Especially if you – or your loved ones – regularly visit (very) crowded places or have (intimate) contact with different people – by this we do not mean a hug or handshake. In case you have a weakened immune system, are older, or suffer from a disease that prevents you from itching and scratching, pay close attention to the following information, because there’s a good chance you – when infected – could get crusted scabies, which is a severe form of scabies.
What are Symptoms of Scabies
As we told before, the most common symptoms of scabies are red skin and an itchy skin rash. This is caused by a sort of allergic reaction to the mites – and their eggs & feces. This itchy skin occurs mainly in the evening and at night and is one of the earliest symptoms. In addition, a pimple-like and itchy rash – also known as scabies rash – may also appear, which may spread throughout the body or appear in specific areas, for example:
- (Between the) fingers
- Wrist
- Elbow
- Armpit
- Genitalia
- Nipples
- Waist
- Buttocks
- Shoulder (blades)
In babies and (very) younger children, you often see the symptoms manifest on the head, face, neck, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. This is generally not the case in teenagers, adolescents, and adults. Sometimes you can see tiny burrows on the affected skin; which are caused by female mites that are nestling in the top layer of your skin. How do you recognize this? Well, most of the time these burrows look like raised and crooked lines of the skin. These lines can look grayish or skin-colored. If you have never had scabies before, the first symptoms will not appear until 4 to 8 weeks. If you have had it before, the first symptoms will appear at 1 to 4 days after infection. The last question to be answered is: How can you treat scabies? You’ll find the answer on the next page, so continue reading quickly.