Itching is one of the most distressing symptoms you may experience. Stop uncontrollable itching by using gentle cleansers, taking shorter, cooler showers, moisturizing after you shower with chilled, ,medicated cream and using a humidifier.
Itching is one of the most distressing symptoms you may experience. The discomfort of itch may, in many cases, surpass even the sensation of pain. There are many reasons why you have an itch: dry skin, allergies, bug bite, fungal infections and so forth. Some causes of itch such as lichen planus or eczema may require intervention by a dermatologist.
Here are a few ways to control that itch.
Use gentle, skin microbiome-supporting cleansers.
- Look for cleansers that feature hydrating, balancing, barrier-supporting ingredients.
- Try hand soaps that are enriched with soothing, hydrating ingredients such as milk, aloe, honey and oatmeal.
- Try any ingredients that restore the skin barrier and help bring the pH back to the normal range. We need to respect the inherent pH of our skin to keep it healthy. Such ingredients include urea, panthenol, ceramides, glycerin, niacin and hyaluronic acid among others.
Take cooler or shorter showers.
- Stick to cold or lukewarm showers. This will not only help avoid stripping a layer of crucial lipids called ceramides, but also help retain skin moisture.
- If you are partial to a warmer shower (they can help melt away stress), just make sure you don’t stay underneath the stream for too long so you don’t dry out your skin.
Moisturize right after.
- After covering the body with moisture (water), sealing it all in is key. It’s essential to moisturize as often as possible to restore those lipids and encourage the re-growth of healthy bacteria.
- Research shows that if you wait too long to moisturize after shower, you miss that narrow window of opportunity to really trap and seal those nourishing ingredients into the skin before all the water evaporates off the surface, further compromising your skin.
- Leave your skin a bit damp so the occlusives can really lock in hydration. Rather, lightly pat dry with a towel.
Chill your lotions and creams.
- Try tossing your moisturizers in the fridge for a few minutes before applying. It’s a classic trick. A cooler temperature constricts your blood vessels (called vasoconstriction).
- This tricks the nerves that sense itch and leads to a cooling, soothing effect.
- You can even use a cold compress or ice cubes if you choose. The cool temperature breaks the incessant itch–scratch–itch cycle so you won’t tug or further irritate the skin.
Medicated creams or lotions.
- Try applying creams or lotions that have hydrocortisone or pramoxine hydrochloride.
- These ingredients provide temporary itch relief that helps prevent the scratching that can break the skin and lead to infection.
- Also, try applying cooling agents such as menthol or calamine.
Other recommendations.
- Apart from the above recommendations, people with itchy skin may need to use a suitable humidifier at home.
- They may also need to wear soft fabrics such as cotton and silk and drink plenty of water.
If the post shower itchiness does not subside with common recommendations, check for triggers. It could be a number of things in your environment including cosmetic products, laundry detergents, soaps and lotions. Keep a notebook handy and write down when the itchiness happens and remember what products you used or what other environmental factors might have caused the reaction.
What are the common causes of itchy skin?
Itchy skin is not only irritating, but it also may cause infection. Sometimes, an underlying medical condition may also cause itchy skin. The most common causes of itchy skin include
- It is one of the common causes of itching.
- In addition to flaking and a feeling of tightness, skin that lacks moisture can lead to itchy sensations.
Runner’s itch
- If you’ve ever experienced itchy legs during or after a jog, runner’s itch may be to blame. Experienced most often on the thighs and calves, this temporary itching is caused by the increase in body temperature and release of histamine during exercise.
- Showering immediately after exercise may lead to folliculitis.
- This irritation of the hair follicles is often associated with infection that can lead to red bumps and itchy skin.
- The redness, scaly skin and severe itching associated with eczema commonly occur on several areas of the body, including on the face, behind the knees and inside the elbows.
- If you have itching on your knees accompanied by redness and thick patches of scaly skin, psoriasis may be the culprit. This skin condition often affects the elbows and may cause scaly patches of skin (and itching) on the eyebrows, between the nose and upper lip, the upper forehead and along the hairline as well.
Keratosis pilaris (KP)
- A harmless skin condition commonly seen on the backs of the arms, KP is caused by the build-up of a skin protein called keratin that blocks the opening of the hair follicle and it may be associated with itchy arms.
Fungal infections
- This is the most common cause of itching, especially in humid and moist climates.