Chickenpox (Varicella):
A parent's guide to condition and treatment information

Most children act sick with fever and vague symptoms (loss of appetite, headache, belly ache) for 1–2 days before they start to break out with a rash. These symptoms last for 2–4 days after the rash appears.

An early pink-to-red, flat, small spot rapidly becomes bumpy and then blisters with a surrounding halo of redness. The spots usually appear first on the trunk or scalp. Linings of body cavities, such as the mouth or nose (mucous membranes), palms, and soles, can be have a few lesions. The average child develops a few hundred blisters, most of which heal without leaving scars. A child who has had the chickenpox vaccine will have far fewer lesions.

The blister is usually described as looking like a dewdrop on a rose petal. The blister area (vesicle) is thin-walled and easily broken. Blisters become cloudy and then crust over, with healing completed within 1–3 weeks. Lesions often occur in 3 or more successive series (crops). Lesions in different stages of development may occur at the same time.