What Do Scabies Look Like – Signs and Symptoms?

Scabies can be a straightforward problem to self-diagnose as the symptoms are well-known and pretty apparent when you already know what to look for.   Early self-diagnosis should be followed immediately by the start of a scabies treatment program.

Usually, the first signal of a scabies infestation is the start of itching skin which, to start with, is sometimes thought to be dry skin.  Frequently, the itching is pretty minor at the start but gradually gets worse. Usually, the itch is worse through the night and a bit less severe throughout the day.  Furthermore, it is often more intense right after bathing, showering or swimming.  The itching can be so severe that it interferes with sleeping.

Soon after the onset of  itching, a skin irritation or sore will emerge that could look like a blister, rash, small insect bite or even a pimple.

What does Scabies Look Like? – Typical Locations

Scabies can potentially emerge anywhere on your body although the location commonly will depend on the age of the individual. For instance, with kids, the infected regions typically include the palms of the hands, the neck area, scalp, face and also bottoms of the feet.  On adults, the affected places more typically include the webbing in between fingers and toes, the inside of the wrists, inside of the elbows, around the waistline and belly-button, the shoulder blades, around the knees, the buttocks region and the genital area in males – in general, regions of the body made up of creased / folded skin or body crevasses.  Those parts of the body are warmer and more moist than the more exposed parts of the body and they are excellent conditions for scabies mites.

It should be encouraging to know that not each individual bump on your skin is an actual scabies mite. In nearly all scabies cases, there usually are just 10 to 15 live mites though there might be 100s of bumps.

Textbook descriptions of scabies oftentimes make reference to “burrows” or “tunnels” on the skin which are caused by the scabies mite tunneling below the surface of the skin. These are typically very small threadlike projections, ranging from 2 mm-15 mm long, that appear as thin grey, brown, or reddish colored lines in the infected locations and, because they are so thin, they can be quite difficult to view with the human eye alone.  Additionally, scratching the irritation generally destroys the burrows so they are no longer distinctly observable.

Scratching the impacted area may also result in the skin breaking open leading to the appearance of crusting as the open sores start to scab over.

Treatment Options for Scabies.

Treatment of scabies may include a wide range of prescription medications as well as natural treatments.  Some studies have concluded that standard scabies drugs and creams  like premethrin have proven to result in considerable unwanted complications because they are manufactured from powerful pesticides or dangerous steroids.  Because of this, it may be advisable to consider a course of natural treatment.

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