Scabies

Scabies is a common infection caused by a small mite. Children, adolescents, and adults are exposed to another person's infection where the mite can be spread. It is common to appear in multiple family members.

The rash can appear weeks after the mite burrows in the skin and appears from an skin reaction to the eggs or mite reaction. It causes an itchy rash and may appear in different parts of the body based on the child's or person's age. In small children it appears on the palms or soles of the skin. In older children and adults, it often appears in between the fingers, under the arms or in between the legs near the groin arms (warmer parts of the body).

Treatment is by a prescription after determining what is causing the rash. In some cases, a dermatologist may scape the skin and examine the results under a microscopic slide. You may be infected on more than one occasion but treatment with a lotion or cream is usually curative. Some children will also receive oral antihistamines to control the itching.

Reviewed 5/2/2024