What Is Scabies?

Scabies is a common and highly contagious skin condition caused by tiny mites called Sarcoptes scabiei. These microscopic bugs burrow into the top layer of your skin to live, feed, and lay eggs. When your skin reacts to the mites, it causes intense itching and a bumpy rash.

How Do You Get Scabies?

Scabies spreads mainly through direct, prolonged skin-to-skin contact with someone who has it. A quick handshake or hug usually won't spread scabies—you typically need about 15 to 20 minutes of close contact.

Less commonly, scabies can spread by sharing clothing, towels, or bedding with an infected person. The mites can survive off the body for 3 to 4 days on these items.

Is Scabies Contagious?

Yes, scabies is very contagious. It spreads easily in crowded settings like nursing homes, childcare centers, and shelters where close contact is common. Sexual partners and household members are at highest risk.

A person can spread scabies even before symptoms appear. For first-time infections, symptoms may take 4 to 8 weeks to develop, but the person is still contagious during this time.

Symptoms of Scabies

The main symptoms of scabies include:

• Severe itching, especially at night
• Small red bumps or blisters
• Thin, wavy lines (burrows) on the skin
• Rash in skin folds: between fingers, wrists, elbows, and waist

Treatment Options

Scabies won't go away on its own—you need prescription medication. The most common treatments include:

• Permethrin cream (5%): Applied from neck to toes at bedtime and washed off in the morning
• Ivermectin: An oral medication given in two doses, one week apart

Everyone in the household and close contacts should be treated at the same time, even without symptoms. Wash all bedding, towels, and clothing in hot water and dry on high heat to kill any remaining mites.

When to See a Doctor

See a healthcare provider if you have intense itching that worsens at night or notice a rash with tiny burrows. A doctor can diagnose scabies by examining your skin and prescribe the right treatment. Note that itching may continue for 2 to 4 weeks after treatment, even after the mites are gone.