Q: Hi doctor! Please I need your help. My friend has this problem for a long time, all her body is itching her and when she scratches any part of her body, it gets swollen. She has used everything they asked her to use but it’s not working. Please help her, because she said that if it starts, it’s like she’s going crazy when she’s scratching her body. I will be glad if you can help us. God bless you
A: Body itching can be caused by different conditions including:
- Skin reactions to heat or allergies
- Skin conditions like eczema, dandruff or psoriasis. For more on eczema and dandruff, please click on these links https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/03/01/daily-health-tips-what-can-i-do-about-the-eczema-on-my-skin/; https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/05/18/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-help-with-dandruff/
- Parasitic infestations like scabies. For more on scabies, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/07/22/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-scabies/
- Fungal infections like jock itch or athlete’s foot. For more on scabies, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2018/03/31/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-athletes-foot/
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause
- Other medical conditions like thyroid, liver or kidney problems
- Dry, cracked or irritated skin. For more on eczema and dandruff, please click on this link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2017/12/29/hlwdk-daily-health-tips-i-itch-after-every-bath/
- Nerve dysfunction
- Medications
Treatment of skin rashes is, of course dependent on the cause. It may include any or a combination of medications (anti-histamines), wet dressings on affected areas and phototherapy. If the itch is severe enough to affect your daily life, lasts more than 2 weeks, keeps coming back, is all over your body, is associated with other symptoms like yellowness of the eyes, please see your doctor immediately.
What can you do at home to provide relief and minimize harm to yourself? I’ll split them into dos and don’ts
Dos
- Keep your nails short so that you don’t do mortal damage if you do scratch J
- Or if you don’t want to do that, you could wear gloves to sleep at night – that way, even when you scratch unconsciously, no harm done
- Try patting the itchy part instead of scratching
- A cold compress held against the itchy part can also help reduce itching
- Wear more cotton fabrics to allow your skin breathe and not chaff your skin
- Use cotton beddings for the same reason
Don’ts
- Avoid hot baths. Keep bath water cool or lukewarm. Want to know why? Read this!
- Avoid vigorous drying off after a bath. Dab your skin dry
- Avoid perfumed products – soap, deodorants, shower gels, lotions etc
- Avoid tight-fitting clothes. They make a bad matter (itch) worse
- Avoid harsh detergents for laundry
- Avoid spicy foods – they increase blood flow to the skin and make itching worse
Have a good evening 😀
chatwithketch 