Symptoms of Scabies in Humans

The symptoms of scabies involve itching (mostly at night) with a building sensation. This building feeling/sensation refers to the fact that over a few days the itching will get worse and “ease off” less. You will also see your skin start to redden. This is firstly through the damage caused by the mites, secondly be the cleaning attempts you make and thirdly by the scratching of the area that you do yourself.

The parts of the human body that are most commonly adversely affected by the scabies mites are on the hands and the feet. They are often seen on the webbed parts of you skin, like between your fingers and your toes. The underside of your wrists and just under your arms and armpits are often affected. It is sometimes seen around the breasts, navel (belly button), elbows, buttocks and genitals (your googlies).

The mite is responsible for scraping ridges (scabby lines), excoriated papules (lump like spots without fluid inside), and promotes eczematisation (eczema) or super-infection (impetiginisation - causing impetigo). The specific lesions of scabies are mostly visible as furrows with a fine sinuous path of less than 1 cm (trench like lines), slightly lighter than your skin colour highlight and a little gray where the dead skins shows. They may also show up as beaded vesicles (like a blister spot) and scabrous nodules (scab patches) under your arms or near you external genitalia. These lesions often lack a specific pattern or shape.

The search for mites should be done via direct examination to be sure that it is the scabies mites causing the problem and to rule out any other causes. The doctor will collect dander (bits of skin) for a parasitological examination of suspicious areas. Samples will be taken from the scabies patches, especially at the furrows. The dander is then immediately microscopically examined. This type of examination is particularly effective in the forms of infection where the mite infestation is profuse and often is useful in atypical cases where it may not appear to be scabies in the first instance.

The place from which you originally contracted the mites should be examined. Don’t forget that you may have caught the mites from a lot of place. On people alone, you can have eye mites, hair mites and skin mites. You may catch them from a lover, or other peoples clothing or bed sheets.

Do not confuse scabies with poor cleanliness. If you decide to fight your scabies mite infection through repeated washing and scrubbing, then you will simply make your symptoms act a little more differently. The scabies mites themselves will still be present. Though it is true that many skin mites like to live in places with lots of dead skin, the scabies mites actually prefer moist areas. This is the reason you will find them under your armpits or on the sweaty parts of your wrists. You should not rule out the fact that they may infect anywhere on your body. You may find eyelash mites, hair mites, skin mites around your body, so check with your doctor if you think you may have scabies.