10 REASONS YOU GET... ITCHY
1 IT’S AN ALLERGY
The exact cause of atopic (allergic) eczema is unknown but it often occurs in people who also suffer asthma and hay fever. The characteristic scaly rash can be mild in comparison to the itch.
Triggers include soaps, detergents, stress and the weather. Sometimes food plays a part. Treatment can be tricky and can only manage symptoms rather than provide a cure.
2 YOU TOUCHED SOMETHING YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE
Contact dermatitis – an itchy rash on your skin – is caused by contact or exposure to an irritant. It is limited to the area of the skin exposed to the irritant, such as a chemical or a plant.
3 YOU’RE TOO CLEAN
Soap or washing-up liquid can dry out the skin, causing it to start itching. Many soaps remove the natural oils in the skin, robbing it of elasticity, ergo: dry, flaky and itchy skin. It is easily avoided by swapping for a different soap or shower gel, and by using washing-up gloves when doing the dishes.
4 WATCH OUT FOR WILDLIFE
Common parasites such as bedbugs and other mites can cause severe itching, either due to their bite, or a reaction to their waste.
Due to their sometimes microscopic size, the problem can be tricky to diagnose, but fairly easily treated with pesticide lotions available from chemists.
5 YOUR SKIN IS AGEING
Dry skin is the most common cause of pruritus, the medical term for chronic itch. Age, environment and lifestyle can take its toll on the skin’s ability to hold moisture and stay soft and supple. A simple emollient cream may help to relieve the problem.
6 BLAME THE SUN
Over-exposure to the sun can cause various itchy rashes, but equally, sunscreen can cause irritation if you are sensitive to some of its ingredients, such as preservatives and perfumes.
If your skin reacts to sunblock, opt for a zincor titanium-based one instead. Heat itself can also irritate the skin, with both hot water and hot air drying out the skin.
7 YOU ARE TERRIBLY UNWELL
Pruritis is a known side effect of several serious conditions, such as HIV/AIDS, liver failure and some forms of cancer.
8 BLAME YOUR SHIRT
Clothes can cause an itch because of the fabric itself – remember that itchy jumper? – or a seam or button rubbing against your skin and irritating it. It can also be that you are sensitive or allergic to the laundry detergent you use. If your clothes make you itch, try swapping your washing powder.
9 IT’S ALL IN YOUR MIND
Delusional parasitosis is a mistaken belief that one is being infested by parasites such as mites, lice, fleas, spiders, worms, bacteria or other organisms. It’s a rare and unexplained condition characterised by crawling sensations on and under the skin.
10 YOU’RE READING THIS!
Itching is contagious, according to studies. Like the feelings of touch, temperature and pain, itching involves a complex system of molecules, cells and circuits reaching from the skin into the brain, and it seems that these can be stimulated simply by thinking.
If you are feeling itchy right now, it is probably because you’ve been reading about it here.