Conditions
Scabies
Scabies is a common and highly contagious skin condition caused by human scabies mites, which are microscopic, eight-legged creatures with round bodies that have infested humans and caused misery for around 2,500 years. It is spread by close physical contact, especially in overcrowded living conditions or during sexual contact, and occurs when the female mite burrows into the outer layer of skin to lay its eggs. When the larvae then hatch and grow into mites, the skin produces an allergic reaction and intense itching develops (usually 2-6 weeks after infestation), resulting in a rash of raised, pinkish-red spots that appear on the body and limbs. Scabies can affect people of any age but is most common in children and young adults. Your personal hygiene has no bearing on the condition, but like most conditions involving the dreaded louse or mite, you cannot simply wash them away. However, prescription or over-the-counter creams and lotions are available – but check with your GP.
Comments and Questions
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
im 16 and i have bin diagnosed with scabies mite but nothing seems to get rid of it im very emmbarrased about it and wont show my arms or legs its very bad on my legs and is damaging my self confidence please help
My wife is severly bothered by having scabies, on the other hand it doesn't seem to bother me as much. She claims that she got it the first time we had sex together 24yrs ago but she didn't know what it was. She now is convinced that this is scabies( even though ours don't resemble any photo's i've seen so far) and we are treating ourselves with a mixture of Vaseline and sulfur. Seems to work but keep getting a re-occurrence of them. Maybe we are missing some don't know but hope this will do the trick. Bought all the lotions and creams, boiled the clothes, and got a spray from Sam's club to spay furniture and clothes with. Hope it will kill them all.
I need help i started with scabies 8 month ago both my partner and i had them,i have been to the Doctors on several occasions for them to give me all different creams and lotions but it's not working then they told me that i couldnt do anything after the last lot until 6month's have gone down the line only something to do with nerves what do they mean by this?!?!? and then they put me on periton which that is for allergy reactions please someone help!
Thank you for visiting our web site and for discussing your problem so openly. If you would like the opportunity to be seen by one of the Embarrassing Bodies Doctors and have your problems assessed and treated by a specialist, then why not apply for the chance to take part in the programme. Please visit the following link and click ‘Apply to be on the show’ where you can fill in an application form: http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/features/be-on-embarrassing-bodies/
i have been in spain for over a year now on business - i live with my partner and have been with here for 4 years. recently i got a very light itchy rash on the inside of my legs & under my left armpit - i asume this is just chaffing / sweating? but now i have got a rateher red rash with surrounded by red lumps on my bottom. any clue as to what is this?
both me and my two children (not my husband) have all had scabies and have been effectively treated for it in the last 2 months TWICE we keep getting reinfected everytime we go to a friends house, all 3 of us suffer with eczema so seem to pick it up very easily, but our doctor refuses to believe this is what it is even though the treatment works, but has treated us twice 'just in case' I can't see them helping again short of a skin test! How do we tell our friend that they have it without offending her? I don't want to have to keep getting infected
hello i have recently been diagnosed with scabies and so have my daughter and my son whos 5 mths old it was very distressing as i am a clean person who is living in clean conditions ,when i traced back i think it came from my daughters friend who lives next door she is prolific for spreading nits at school but not treating them herself ,so i approached the mum and told her that i think my daughter gave to my mine she was very rude and basically told me that was not true i was calm but angry as my baby got them and its so horrible to see on a 5 mth old ,my advice treat again but dont go there and if she asks be honest and tell her that they keep coming back after coming round to you also make sure you boil wash all bedding and towels then hot iron thats what ive done goodluck
Hello, I have had scabies twice so far in my life and they are not that bad, honest. They are just basicly an itch rash cvering you body, not as disgusting or horrible as people say. The only problem i had was that i was allergic to the cream they first gave me and it was like i was on fire :') Lol x so dont worry if you do get them, i personally dont think it is that bad. However i wouldnt tell my friends if i were you, people think it is a disgusting thing when really its not that bad. :) Hope i helped.
please help. recently i have developed red itchy bumps on my legs & arms, this also includes a swelling of the throat.. im rather worried because my boyfriend experienced the redness first while i had the throat problem.. now we have both syptoms.. im becoming very worried & would appreciate help on diagnosing it..
Thank you for visiting our web site and for discussing your problem so openly. If you would like the opportunity to be seen by one of the Embarrassing Bodies Doctors and have your problems assessed and treated by a specialist, then why not apply for the chance to take part in the programme. Please visit the following link and click ‘Apply to be on the show’ where you can fill in an application form: http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/features/be-on-embarrassing-bodies/
Sir im same problem in my leg
Hi my 20mnth old son has a skin condition that's baffling me. On his back he has a large area of raised skin mottles to the touch and it has been getting bigger for the last year or so now. It doesn't bother him most of the time but when it does it itches and nothing I use soothes or reduces the area of raised skin. I've used creams like Diprobase, powders like anti fungal items and changed diet but nothing helps and though I've searched your site and many others nothing seems like this condition. It's not contageous but I'd like to find a way to remove this lager area of raised skin and discomfort for my child, in itself I've not been worried apart from the fact that the patch of skin is covering more of his flesh at quite a quick rate. The raised skin is not discoloured ion any way either. I've also talked to my Health Visitor and Midwives at the Health Clinic but this seems to get me nowhere. Is there anything you can suggest or any way you can help? Thankyou,
Thank you for visiting our web site and for discussing your problem so openly. If you would like the opportunity to be seen by one of the Embarrassing Bodies Doctors and have your problems assessed and treated by a specialist, then why not apply for the chance to take part in the programme. Please visit the following link and click ‘Apply to be on the show’ where you can fill in an application form: http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/features/be-on-embarrassing-bodies/
I have had severe itching all over my body for quite a while now. At first my doctor thought id had an allergic reaction to washing powder but when the medicine didnt help i began to look into what it could be on the internet. When i went back to the doctor he confirmed what i thought and that i must have scabies, though his only reason for this was due to the rash obviously and one or two blisters on my hands. Since the treatment the itching hasnt went away and im scared that im doing some serious damage to my skin. My lega are in a mess and i never wear dresses without tights as im embarrassed as to how they look. My groin area and underarms are pretty bad and have raised (slightly hard lumps) that are purple-ish in colour.. ive had a look on the internet and this appears to be swollen lymph nodes. But i basically have no idea what ive got and am worried it could be a STD or something even worse. Ive also started to get headaches which ive never had a problem with before but im not sure as to whether this is due to stress with uni or in relation to my itching. I really dont want to go back to the doctor again as ive been constantly at the doctors for the past 8months or so due to lady issues and i feel like im annoying them. Do you have any idea what is wrong with me?
Important Notice
The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here
