This very itchy skin infection is caused by a tiny (0.4 mm) mite called Sarcoptes
scabiti. The mite burrows into the surface layer of your skin. Its burrow is seen through the skin as a fine, red, wavy line. The adult female lives in the burrow for four to eight weeks, laying a couple of eggs along the tunnel each day. The eggs hatch onto the skin surface within 10 days and live there for another two weeks until they’re mature enough to burrow in, and so the infection goes on.
The most common places to find scabies tunnels are the wrists, between the fingers, armpits, breasts, penis, scrotum, thighs and buttocks. The itching is caused by an allergic reaction to faeces left by the mite along the tunnel. The itch is worse when your skin is warm after a hot bath or shower, and in bed. If you scratch too much you can tear the skin, which can then become infected by bacteria.
Scabies is caught from any sort of skin contact (including sex), and can also be picked up from clothes and bedclothes. It often spreads to all members of a household and among children who play together.
The treatment is to apply lotions that kill the mites and eggs. It’s best to ask your doctor or pharmacist to recommend a lotion, especially for children or if the rash has spread and is weeping. Some treatments shouldn’t be used during pregnancy or breast-feeding. It’s usual to recommend that everyone in the household is treated at the same time, and all bed linen and clothes should be laundered in hot water on the same day. Sexual partners should also be treated.
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