About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffMake an appointment with your family doctor or pediatrician if you or your child has signs and symptoms common to scabies.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
Information to gather in advance
- List any signs or symptoms you or your child has had, and for how long.
- List any possible sources of infection, such as other family members who have had a visible or itchy rash.
- Write down key medical information, including any other health problems and the names of any medications you or your child is taking.
- Write down questions you want to be sure to ask your doctor.
Below are some basic questions to ask your doctor about scabies. If any additional questions occur to you during your visit, don't hesitate to ask.
- What is the most likely cause of these signs and symptoms?
- Are there any other possible causes?
- What treatment approach do you recommend?
- How soon do you expect symptoms to improve with treatment?
- When will you see me or my child to determine whether the treatment you've recommended is working?
- Are there any home remedies or self-care steps that could help relieve symptoms?
- Am I or my child contagious? For how long?
- What steps should be taken to reduce the risk of infecting others?
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to talk about in-depth. Your doctor may ask:
- What signs and symptoms have you noticed?
- When did you first notice these signs and symptoms?
- Have these signs and symptoms gotten worse over time?
- If you or your child has a visible rash, what parts of the body are affected?
- Has anyone else with whom you have frequent, close contact had a rash, an itch or both within the last several weeks?
- Are you currently pregnant or nursing?
- Are you or your child currently being treated or have you recently been treated for any other medical conditions?
- What medications are you or your child currently taking, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements?
- Is your child in child care?
What you can do in the meantime
In the time leading up to your appointment, try at-home and over-the-counter (OTC) remedies to help reduce itching. Cool water, antihistamines and calamine lotion may provide some relief. Ask your doctor what OTC medications and lotions are safe for your baby or child.
- Scabies. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00024-9&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00024-9--s0035&uniq=179974528&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00024-9%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-7234-3541-9%3BdisplayedEid%3D4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00024-9--s0035. Accessed Jan. 27, 2010.
- Scabies. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/scabies/index.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2010.
- Scabies. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_scabies.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2010.
- Andrews RM, et al. Skin disorders, including pyoderma, scabies, and tinea infections. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2009;56:1421.
- Gibson LE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 16, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on