Scabies

Scabies is a contagious skin condition caused by tiny mites which burrow into the skin.

The main symptom of scabies is intense itching that is worse at night. It also causes a skin rash on areas where mites have burrowed.

How is scabies spread?

Scabies can be spread through:

• long periods of skin-to-skin contact with an infected person
• sexual contact with an infected person 

Scabies can also be passed by sharing clothing, towels and bedding with someone who is infected. However, this is less likely than getting the infection through skin-to-skin contact.

It can take up to eight weeks for the symptoms of scabies to appear after initial infection. This is known as the incubation period.

Read more about the causes of scabies.

In the UK, most scabies outbreaks occur during the winter. This may be a result of people spending more time indoors and in closer proximity to each other during this time of year.

Scabies mites

Scabies mites are called Sarciotes scabiei. They feed using their mouths and front legs to dig into the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis), ingesting tissue and fluids as they burrow.

As the mites feed within the skin layer, they lengthen their burrows horizontally by about 0.5mm a day. Females lay 2-3 eggs a day inside the burrow. After 3-4 days, the larvae (baby mites) hatch from the eggs and travel to the surface of the skin where they lie in shallow pockets before maturing into adult mites. 

Scabies like warm places on the skin, such as skin folds, between the fingers, under fingernails or around the buttock or breast creases. They can also hide under watch straps, bracelets, or under rings.

Treating scabies

You should visit your GP if you think you have scabies. It is not usually a serious condition but does need to be treated.

The two most widely used treatments for scabies are permethrin cream and malathion lotion. Both medications contain insecticides that kill the scabies mite.

Permethrin cream is usually recommended as the first treatment. Malathion lotion is used if permethrin cream proves ineffective.

If your partner has been diagnosed with genital scabies, to avoid re-infection you should visit your nearest sexual health clinic so you can be checked and, if necessary, treated.

You should avoid having sex and other forms of close bodily contact until both you and your partner have completed the full course of treatment.

Read more about diagnosing scabies and treating scabies.

Complications of scabies

Scabies can sometimes lead to a secondary skin infection if the skin becomes irritated and inflamed through excessive itching.

A rare but more severe form of scabies can develop in cases where there are a lot of mites in the skin. This is called crusted scabies and can affect older people and those with a lowered immune system (the body’s natural defence against infection and illness).