A disorder present at all ages and in all seasons, with peaks of incidence in winter and summer. The remedies exist, the important thing is to use them wisely.
Raise your hand who has never had an itching problem? There are very few lucky people who have never experienced it.
And we are not talking only about the discomfort, perhaps intense but temporary and bearable, determined by trivial insect bites, but about the sensation of more persistent and / or widespread itching that can arise for the most diverse reasons in various areas of the body, creating serious discomfort during the day and preventing you from sleeping well at night.
Among many, excessive dry skin is the most frequent cause of itching at any age. To favor the appearance are above all the usual use of aggressive shower gel and shower gel and too close washes, especially if you remain immersed for a long time in the bathtub or you stay too long in the hot shower: all factors that drastically alter the natural hydrolipid barrier (skin barrier), which covers and protects the epidermis from the loss of liquids and the aggression of external agents.
But at the origin of dry skin and intense itching there can also be chronic inflammatory skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, or allergic skin or food forms or, again, destabilization of the skin barrier due to contact with irritants of domestic use (such as detergents, diluted bleach or ammonia, etc.). In some cases, then, to irritate the epidermis can be the simple water, especially if rich in limestone or added with chlorine, but sometimes even when it is “sweet” and pure.
Let’s see how to protect the skin and prevent or alleviate some discomfort.
Situations and periods at risk
Children and young adults risk dehydration and skin irritation especially in winter, due to cold and atmospheric smog, and in summer, after excessive exposure to the sun, especially if combined with staying in very dry and ventilated environments, without adequate application of moisturizing and protective creams.
Even swimming in the pool and in the sea can promote skin dehydration, especially if prolonged and not followed immediately after by a shower with fresh or warm fresh water: the former due to the effect of chlorine; the latter because of the salt that persists on the skin.
All these environmental circumstances, in fact, favor the weakening of the superficial skin barrier and promote water loss due to passive perspiration. And if you sweat a lot, paradoxically, the dry skin and the resulting itching are further promoted because sweat has an irritating action on the epidermis and drastically alters the protective hydrolipidic microfilm.
The elderly, on the other hand, tend to develop dry skin and intense itching spread throughout the year (especially in the limbs, sprayed less efficiently by blood circulation) and even in ideal climatic conditions, because, with age, the dermo-epidermal balance becomes more precarious and the tissues are able to retain smaller amounts of fluids. How can this be remedied?
Gentle hygiene and hydration
Daily hygiene is fundamental, there is no question. But if you want to respect the balance of the skin and avoid the onset of dehydration, erythema, burning and itching sensation, you have to find a compromise between cleansing and delicacy needs.
Beyond individual preferences with respect to scent and consistency, when choosing a soap, solid or liquid, for the face or body, it must be remembered that the “ideal” cleanser must not completely remove the superficial hydrolipidic microfilm, nor modify the physiological acidity of the epidermis (pH 5.5).
In addition, it must have good skin tolerability, documented by a certified dermatological evaluation.
The choice should, therefore, fall on cleansing milks, “non-soap” breads, washing oils and highly moisturizing and emollient shower gel / shower gel.
Even the shampoo must be extremely delicate and of good quality, especially if you have a known propensity for dandruff, whose production would inevitably be promoted by dehydration and excessive stress on the scalp.
In all cases, contact with the skin and scalp must be short and, after washing operations, the residues of detergent and shampoo (even if of excellent quality) must be completely eliminated with a thorough rinsing because their permanence on the skin has dehydrating and irritating effects.
The temperature of the water is also important because both too hot and too cold alter the skin barrier and greatly sensitize the epidermis, to the point of determining real dermatitis in predisposed people (for example, those suffering from atopic dermatitis).
The skin should then be dried slowly, dabbing with a soft sponge and then protected with a fluid moisturizing preparation (an emulsion or an oil) to promote the restoration of the superficial lipid barrier and prevent the onset of dryness and redness.
To promote a faster and more efficient absorption of moisturizing and emollient products, it is advisable to apply them when the skin is still slightly moist and more “receptive”, massaging gently, without rubbing.
The environment matters too
The skin is not only affected by climatic conditions related to external atmospheric variables (in particular, reduction or increase in temperature and humidity), but also by those of the microenvironment that forms between the epidermis and clothing following perspiration.
To ensure maximum well-being to the skin it is important to dress in layers to avoid both excessive sweating and being cold, further stressing the epidermis.
In winter, it is also advisable to set up humidifiers at least in the rooms where you stay longer (at home and in the office) to reduce air dryness.
If you want to take care of your skin at 360 °, you should not forget that softness and elasticity of the epidermis are also connected to the general degree of hydration of the body. As a result, diet also plays a decisive role.
In both young and old, one of the most obvious and easy to recognize signs of dehydration is the appearance of dry and chapped lips.
To prevent and counteract it, try to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of water or other drinks every day (unsweetened, non-alcoholic and caffeine-free) and consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably raw, but also cooked or in the form of soups, soups, velvety.
In addition to supplying additional liquids, plant foods contribute to improving the well-being of the skin thanks to the contribution of vitamins (in particular A, C and E), mineral salts and other antioxidant substances, also useful to counteract free radicals that promote aging.
How to appease the annoyance
| Daily hygiene | Avoid aggressive soaps, preferring non-soaps, cleansing milks and cleaning oils
Get used to short baths and showers with not too hot water Dry by gently dabbing with a soft sponge Never rub your skin and avoid scratching |
| Creams | Always apply hypoallergenic moisturizers/emollients after bathing or showering
If intense itching is present, apply specific moisturizers, such as those based on lamellar lipids and provitamin B5 (panthenol) that promote the natural restoration of the protective skin barrier |
| Drugs | If directed by your doctor, use treatment with antihistamine medications or topical or oral corticosteroids |
| Other remedies | If the itching sensation is unbearable, wet the skin with cold water or apply a cool compress for relief |
What if it’s allergy?
Intense itching, redness, bumps or a more common swelling are the characteristic manifestations that can be found in the skin when it is exposed to substances to which it is subjectively sensitized (allergic contact dermatitis) or as a result of allergic reactions to specific foods.
In both cases, skin signs and symptoms of allergy begin to manifest half an hour to a few hours after the immune system is stimulated by allergens and may persist for a period of time that varies from case to case. If exposure to the critical compound is continuous, the itching sensation and other skin manifestations will also be maintained for a long time.
The substances that can cause allergic contact or food dermatitis are many, but the most frequent are:
- latex
- metals (nickel, chromium, cobalt, etc.)
- dyes
- hair dyes or bleaching products
- textile
- perfumes, cosmetics, hair removal or shaving products, detergents and shampoos.
Especially in adulthood, real food allergies (for example to milk, eggs, crustaceans, peanuts, etc.) are rare, while sensitization to particular foods (glutamate, strawberries, tomatoes, drinks and fermented foods, yeast, chocolate, etc.) or histamine are quite often found, which can determine the development of redness and itching sensation very similar to those of a not serious allergic reaction.
If you suspect that you suffer from an allergy, you must undergo a visit to an allergology specialist and undergo skin allergy tests (Prick and Patch test), possibly also followed by blood evaluations (Rast test), able to identify the main allergens that can “annoy” the immune system. Once the substances at risk have been recognized, you should try to avoid them as much as possible in everyday life, choosing products, materials and foods that do not contain them.
Aquagenic itching
A very particular form of intense itching is the so-called “aquagenic itching”, i.e. triggered by the simple contact of the skin with water, a completely inert substance, which should not cause any type of abnormal skin reaction, if not too hot or too cold.
This itchy sensation is often accompanied by other altered sensory perceptions of the skin such as tingling, pinpricks, burning or even superficial pain, probably due to a hypersensitivity of the nerve endings present in the skin.
All types of water (tap, sea, rainwater, distilled, etc.) and, sometimes, even sweat can trigger aquagenic itching within a few minutes, which then tends to persist for variable periods of time (even several hours), creating an urgent need to scratch, up to damage the epidermis with scratches and wounds. The areas of the body most often affected are the arms and legs.
Aquagenic itching can appear without any recognizable lesions or particular signs on the epidermis of the affected area, or in the context of a more complex “aquagenic urticaria” characterized, in addition to the symptoms mentioned, also by the appearance of bumps and redness.
In these cases, the reaction to water is probably triggered by the release of histamine (the main substance responsible for allergic manifestations), but other compounds responsible for inflammation (such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes) and neurotransmitters capable of stimulating small blood vessels (vasoactive peptides, acetylcholine, serotonin, substance P, etc.) also seem to be involved.
To arrive at the diagnosis of aquagenic pruritus or aquagenic urticaria and identify the appropriate treatments, it is necessary to undergo a dermatological and possibly neurological specialist examination, especially in the event that damage to the cutaneous nerve endings is suspected (neuropathy).
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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