Embarrassing Illnesses

If you have never had scabies before, the symptoms will begin 2-6 weeks after you are initially infected by the scabies mite. This is because your immune system -which is thought to produce the symptoms of itchiness associated with scabies - needs time to react to the infection.

If you have had scabies in the past, your symptoms will begin within 48 hours of infection because your immune system will have 'learnt' to react to a scabies infection.

Scabies causes your skin to feel intensely itchy. The symptoms tend to be worse at night, and after a hot shower, or bath.

The scabies mites will also leave small red blotches and lines on your skin, which are the marks caused by them burrowing into your skin.

Burrow marks can be found anywhere on the body but, in adults, they typically appear on:

• the folds of skin between your fingers,
• your wrists,
• your armpits,
• around your waist,
• the inside of your elbow,
• your buttocks,
• the soles of your feet,
• your knees,
• your shoulder blades,
• around your breasts (in women), and
• around your genital area (in men).

In infants and young children, burrow marks tend to appear at different locations around their body including the:

• face,
• head,
• neck,
• trunk,
• scalp.
• palms of the hands, and
• soles of the feet.