Q: Dr, good morning. Please, sometimes when I finish taking a bath…in the next 5 to10 minutes, some parts of my body will start itching and I don’t know why and what to do? Please put me through.

A: This question appears to be a favourite around this time of the year 😀 I reproduce below, my previous answer to this question.

Do you find that this happens more often during the dry season of harmattan? That itch could caused by skin that has been excessively dried out by soap, cold or dry air and/or hot baths. This causes the skin to lose the protection of its natural oils and makes the nerve endings to become super sensitive leading to the itching.

What to do? After a bath, try dabbing your skin so that it is still slightly moist before applying a moisturizing lotion that locks in the moisture. Drying your body completely aggravates the dryness and itching as this encourages more evaporation from your skin, more dryness and therefore more itching. Lotions that contain glycerine, lactic acid and panthenol are very good. Body washes with moisturizers are also be a good for those with this problem as they will not dry out your skin when you take a bath.

If this continues despite these precautions, please see your doctor.

Have a great day!