Itching skin you need to know & bull; hello healthy

Itching of the skin is a problem that is quite common. Sometimes itching can occur as a symptom of another health problem, allergies, insect bites, or dry skin. However, this condition can also be felt suddenly for no apparent reason.

Overview of itching on the skin

Itchy skin is a skin disease that occurs when you feel uncomfortable sensations such as tingling and irritation and make you want to scratch the area. In the medical world, this condition is also known as pruritus.

Pruritus can be experienced by anyone, but chronic pruritus is more common in older people. The reason is, they tend to have dry skin. As already mentioned, dry skin can lead to pruritus.

Often times, itchy skin is only felt in a certain small area, but can also be felt all over your body. In cases experienced by everyday people, itching does not cause changes to the skin.

However, depending on the cause, itching can also be accompanied by:

• reddish color,
• lumps, spots, or blisters,
• watery crackle,
• dry skin that looks cracked, and
• scaly skin.

What are the causes of itching on the skin?

Apart from being triggered by dry skin, there are various things that can make your skin itchy. The following are the various causes.

1. Having a skin disease

Pruritus is often a sign of another skin disease that you are experiencing. This skin disease can be caused by a state of body immunity or due to fungal, viral and bacterial infections. Some of these skin diseases are:

• atopic dermatitis (eczema),
• ringworm,
• psoriasis,
• impetigo,
• prickly heat,
• herpes,
• scabies,
• chicken pox, and
• hives.

2. Allergic reactions

Pruritus can also appear if your skin is sensitive or has an allergic reaction to certain clothing materials, substances, or plants such as wool, chemicals in soaps, and cosmetics.

This is also known as contact dermatitis, where the skin causes an allergic reaction such as hives when exposed to an allergen.

3. Have a nervous breakdown

Diseases that interfere with the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, or a pinched nerve can cause itching.

4. Having internal disease

Some of the internal diseases that can cause pruritis are liver disease, kidney failure, iron deficiency anemia, thyroid problems and certain cancers, including: multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

5. Stress

If you do not have the diseases that have been mentioned above, stress could be the trigger. Stress will stimulate chemical reactions in the body that make the skin more sensitive.

In addition, there are many nerve endings that connect with the skin. So, if your central nervous system reads a stress disorder, your skin will react too.

The problem is, sometimes you don't even realize that you are under stress or have a lot of thoughts. So when you experience an itch that appears suddenly, you feel that the cause is not clear.

6. Psychogenic factors

Itching can be triggered by suggestions from your own thoughts.

This condition is actually rare, but if you have certain psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), even a little stress can trigger the urge to scratch the itchy skin.

Usually itching will only be felt on easily accessible limbs such as the arms, face, shoulders, stomach, or back of the thighs.

7. Not maintaining personal hygiene

For example, if you often don't shower or are lazy to change clothes when you sweat. These habits will make the skin moist and susceptible to fungal breeding.

What's more, the dead skin cells that are left alone will build up even more. It can be a favorite food for bacteria and fungi. When infected, the skin will feel itchy, irritated, and inflamed.

How do you relieve itching on the skin?

Itching is common to everyone. When it feels annoying, you can take several steps to reduce its intensity, such as lightly tapping the affected area, applying a cold compress with ice cubes covered in a cloth, or using a moisturizer that does not contain fragrances.

However, excruciating itching of the skin may require medication. Especially when you start to feel the following symptoms.

• Itching that lasts more than two weeks and does not improve despite home treatment.
• Interrupting your routine or bedtime.
• Often comes suddenly and affects all parts of the body.
• Accompanied by other symptoms such as severe fatigue, weight loss, fever, flushing, or affecting bowel habits.

If so, usually the pruritus you are experiencing is a symptom of a certain disease. You must immediately do an examination to confirm the disease and get the right treatment.

Apart from the underlying disease, there are several itching medications that are often recommended by doctors to reduce the intensity. The options include the following.

• Corticosteroid creams and ointments, before using make sure the skin is moist or slightly wet for better absorption of the drug.
• Other topical drugs such as calsineurin inhibitor or topical anesthetics such as capsaicin and doxepin.
• Drugs taken such as fluoxetine and sertraline which will help relieve some types of chronic pruritus.
• Light therapy or phototherapy, this procedure should be done several times until the pruritus is under control.

If you find that itching is caused by stress, of course all you have to do is find and deal with the source of the stress. When the stress decreases, the itching you feel will gradually disappear.

It's important that you take time for yourself to get rid of stress. You can do relaxation with essential oils, exercise, take a vacation, or immediately solve the source of the problem that causes stress.

Things to avoid when experiencing itchy skin

During treatment, avoid bathing with hot water because it can make the skin dry and itchier.

Don't also scratch the itchy area, because this habit will actually irritate the skin and cause new scratches, making healing even more difficult.

If you still have some questions or concerns about itching skin, please discuss with your doctor to find the best solution.