Key points. Chickenpox usually lasts about 4 to 7 days. A common sign of chickenpox is a rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters which eventually become scabs. Chickenpox can also be serious, even life-threatening, during pregnancy and in babies, adolescents, adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
Treatment for chickenpox
If your child has chickenpox, you can help them feel better by treating symptoms like itch and fever. To help with the itch, you could try creams like calamine lotion. If your child really can't stand the itching, your doctor might also prescribe an antihistamine medicine.
The first few days are the worst – chickenpox is at its itchiest before the blisters start to crust over and form scabs, so the first 3 to 5 days are normally the worst. This is because the blisters, when filled with liquid, release chemicals that make skin feel itchy.
Because chickenpox is so contagious, a child who has it should stay home and rest until the rash is gone and all blisters have dried. This usually takes about 1 week.
Put the cool compress directly on the skin to cool your skin and relieve itching. Use soothing lotions that can help dry chickenpox blisters, such as those that contain: Phenol, menthol, and camphor, such as calamine lotion. Oatmeal, such as Aveeno Lotion.
These develop a blister on top and become very itchy after about 12 to 14 hours. After a day or two, the fluid in the blisters gets cloudy and they begin to dry out and crust over. After 1 to 2 weeks, the crusting skin will fall off naturally. New spots can keep appearing in waves for 3 to 5 days after the rash begins.
Chickenpox is contagious for 1 to 2 days before the rash starts and until the blisters have all dried and become scabs. The blisters usually dry and become scabs within 5 to 7 days of the onset of the rash. Children should stay home and away from other children until all of the blisters have scabbed over.
Calamine lotions and creams are dabbed directly onto itchy spots to provide relief, and can also help to dry these spots out so they scab over and fall off faster. Painkillers – chickenpox can sometimes cause pain and a high fever, which can be relieved by over the counter painkillers.
You'll need to stay away from school, nursery or work until all the spots have formed a scab. This is usually 5 days after the spots appeared. Speak to a GP if: you're not sure it's chickenpox.
Prodromal symptoms such as nausea, myalgia, anorexia, headache, general malaise, and loss of appetite. Small, erythematous macules which appear on the scalp, face, trunk, and proximal limbs, and progress over 12–14 hours to papules, clear vesicles (which are intensely itchy), and pustules.
This is why, if one has chickenpox and they begin to present with seizures as well as high fever that is accompanied by vomiting and a headache, then it is a sign that they need to be taken to the ER as soon as possible so that they can be assessed and treated.
Chickenpox is easily spread by direct contact with a person who has chickenpox, or by fluid droplets in the air when they cough or sneeze. A person with chickenpox is infectious to others from one to two days before the rash first appears until the last blisters have dried up.
The rash caused by chickenpox appears 10 to 21 days after you're exposed to the varicella-zoster virus. The rash often lasts about 5 to 10 days. Other symptoms that may appear 1 to 2 days before the rash include: Fever.
Calamine lotion is an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine you can use to treat mild itchiness (pruritus). The topical pink lotion can help relieve itchiness, pain and discomfort caused by conditions such as bug bites, chickenpox and poison ivy.
Most often, health care providers find out you have chickenpox based on the rash. Chickenpox also can be confirmed with lab tests, including blood tests or a tissue study of samples of affected skin.
Until 1995, chickenpox infection was a common occurrence, and almost everyone had been infected by the time he or she reached adulthood. However, the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine in 1995 has caused a decline in the incidence of chickenpox in all ages, particularly in children ages 1 through 4 years.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles presents as a painful, blistering rash. As the blisters break, they form small sores that dry and crust. Although shingles is common, it's frequently mistaken.
Chickenpox symptoms usually last for 1 to 2 weeks – for 3 to 5 days after first developing the initial spotty rash, new spots can appear across the body. Over the course of 5 to 10 days after the rash first appears, all of the red spots would usually dry out, crust over, and then fall off naturally.
Although some vaccinated children (about 2%) will still get chickenpox, they generally will have a much milder form of the disease, with fewer blisters (typi- cally fewer than 50), lower fever, and a more rapid recovery. The vaccine almost always prevents against severe disease.
Chickenpox symptoms vary from person to person. Some children may have only a few blistered spots, but others will have spots all over their body. Adults are more likely to have worse symptoms than children.
Consult your child's doctor if: A rash or lesion affects the eyes. Blue, red or purple dots appear in the affected area. The lesion is crusty, blistering or oozing.
Get advice from NHS 111 now if:
your or your child's chickenpox symptoms suddenly get worse. your child has chickenpox and is showing signs of dehydration, such as fewer wet nappies.