Reviewed by medical experts • For informational purposes only
Incubation 10-21 days, 3-5 days of erupting crops, then crusting - contagious from before the first spot until the last scab.
Chickenpox runs a predictable course of about 1-2 weeks. Knowing the stages tells you what is normal, what is contagious, and when the all-clear comes.
The virus multiplies silently after exposure. No symptoms, usually not contagious yet. If your child was exposed at school, the rash can arrive anytime from day 10 to 21.
Fever, tiredness, headache, poor appetite - the "coming down with something" phase. Contagiousness begins 1-2 days BEFORE the first spot: this is why chickenpox escapes containment so easily.
Spots appear in crops - first on scalp, face and trunk. Each spot races through its lifecycle in hours: red bump, fluid blister, cloudy blister, broken blister, crust. New crops keep arriving while old ones crust - several stages visible at once is the classic picture. Itch peaks here; fever tracks with the rash.
No new blisters form; every blister dries into a scab. Fever settles, energy returns, itch fades. The contagious window closes only when the LAST blister has crusted - no new spots for 24 hours and everything dry.
Scabs loosen and fall off. Pink marks remain and fade over weeks to months. Scratching during the earlier stages is what converts temporary marks into permanent pitted scars - the stage where nails and willpower matter.
Exposed: day 0. Sick: day 10-21. Contagious: from 2 days before the rash until full crusting. School/work: return only after complete crusting, typically 7-10 days after the first spot.
Incubation 10-21 days, 1-2 feverish days, 3-5 days of erupting crops, then crusting and recovery - contagious from before the first spot until the last scab forms.
Written By
Dr. Daksh
BDS
Reviewed By
Dr. Varun Gupta
MD Pharmacology, MBBS
Last updated on
27 Sep 2022 • 06:23 PM (IST)
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