Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTimingCausesSymptomsTreatmentWhen to Seek CareFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Timing
Causes
Symptoms
Treatment
When to Seek Care
Frequently Asked Questions
Medication can killscabiesmites. However, some people react to the debris left over after scabies mites die. This is called post-scabies syndrome.
This article reviews post-scabies syndrome, including symptoms, length, treatment, and when to seek care.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
When Does Post-Scabies Syndrome Typically Occur?
If you have scabies, it can take about four weeks for medications calledscabicidesto kill the mites. You may need another series of treatments if you are still itching from mites.
If you are still itching after successful treatment, you may have post-scabies syndrome. It can take weeks or even several months for this reaction to go away. However, you are not contagious to others during this time.
How Common Is Post Scabies Syndrome?Estimates vary widely, but one small study found that 34% of participants who had scabies developed post-scabies itch.Scabies is more commonly seen in people in close contact with each other, such as in the military, nursing homes, sexually active adults, and children and their caretakers.
How Common Is Post Scabies Syndrome?
Estimates vary widely, but one small study found that 34% of participants who had scabies developed post-scabies itch.Scabies is more commonly seen in people in close contact with each other, such as in the military, nursing homes, sexually active adults, and children and their caretakers.
Post-Scabies Syndrome Causes
Post-scabies syndrome is an immune system reaction, or allergy, to the debris from the dead mites, including feces. It is more likely to occur in people 55 and older and children.
Post-Scabies Syndrome Symptoms
The symptoms of post-scabies syndrome, which appear following successful treatment for scabies, include:
When your healthcare provider has confirmed that you no longer have scabies mites but you are still itching, they can recommend treatment for post-scabies syndrome. Treatments include:
You can also soak in a warm bath and closely but gently wash the itchy areas of your skin to help remove mite debris.
Scabies Home Remedies
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you’ve been successfullytreatedfor scabies, but are still itching, call your healthcare provider, who can help you manage the itch until it subsides.
Summary
Post-scabies syndrome is when you continue to experience a severe itch after you have been treated for scabies infestation. Post-scabies syndrome is due to an allergic reaction to the debris from the dead mites. Unfortunately, it can last for several months.
Some treatments—both over-the-counter and prescription—can help alleviate the itching of post-scabies syndrome until it goes away.
A Word From Verywell
Scabies mites are unpleasant, but scabies treatments are very effective. If the itch lingers long after the mites are gone, seek help from a healthcare provider. Remember that prevention is the best strategy for scabies, which means avoiding skin-to-skin contact around someone who has or may have scabies.
Scabies can make people scratch so intensely that they create sores on their skin, which can become infected. Rarely, scabies can lead to a kind of kidney inflammation called post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.
Medication is effective at killing scabies, but it may take several weeks for all the mites to die. A healthcare provider can examine you to see if any mites remain. Sometimes it takes more than one course of treatment to get rid of the mites.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Australian College of Dermatologists.Scabies.Chiu LW, Berger TG, Chang AY.Management of common scabies and postscabetic itch in adults.International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. 2021;7(5):716-720. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.09.001American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scabies: who gets and causes.Sunderkötter C. Wohlrab J, Hamm H.Scabies: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021;118(41):695-704. doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0296American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Australian College of Dermatologists.Scabies.Chiu LW, Berger TG, Chang AY.Management of common scabies and postscabetic itch in adults.International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. 2021;7(5):716-720. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.09.001American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scabies: who gets and causes.Sunderkötter C. Wohlrab J, Hamm H.Scabies: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021;118(41):695-704. doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0296American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Australian College of Dermatologists.Scabies.Chiu LW, Berger TG, Chang AY.Management of common scabies and postscabetic itch in adults.International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. 2021;7(5):716-720. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.09.001American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scabies: who gets and causes.Sunderkötter C. Wohlrab J, Hamm H.Scabies: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021;118(41):695-704. doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0296American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.
Australian College of Dermatologists.Scabies.
Chiu LW, Berger TG, Chang AY.Management of common scabies and postscabetic itch in adults.International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. 2021;7(5):716-720. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2021.09.001
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Scabies: who gets and causes.
Sunderkötter C. Wohlrab J, Hamm H.Scabies: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021;118(41):695-704. doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0296
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Scabies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies.
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