Help resolve my back itching

I'd like to know whats wrong with my back, chest, arms? Every now and then I get itchy all over, and can't stop itching. Its ben this way for atleast 17 years. When I was younger my parents, and grandma said it was a wind burn, and sprayed some kind of stuff on it, which made the itch go away. Right now I use Aveeno when I have an outbreak. My skin always has the red dots, but only certain times do I get really itchy. My arms look normal though, but chest, and back have the dots.

Pics of my back can be found here: http://www.xanga.com/productreviews2

[allmymarbles]

You might be finding certain fabrics irritation, or you could actually be allergic to some. I am allergic to nylon. Try wearing cotton close to your body and see if that helps.

[amdfanboy]

Ok, thanks. I do believe all my shirts are 100% cotton. Where I used to work I had to wear a uniform, and the shirt irritated me a lot, cause we had to wear the shirts tucked in so it would irritate the skin. Then I moved up in the company, and could wear 100% cotton shirts, and only got a few outbreaks compared to the other fabric.

When I have my shirt off during the summer, and get sun burn on my back that is the worst cause it itches like crazy, burns, ect. I was working the one summer, and told my boss I had to get aloe or I would be itching my back all day.

I'm pretty sure this all started when I got sun burn on my back really bad when I was younger, and my skin was peeling, but looked like white hair all over my back, and I couldn't peel it so I had my sister use a hair brush to get all the dead skin off so it could heal up. Not sure if that has something to do with my skin issues or not.

[allmymarbles]

As to your last sentence, it seems unlikely.

[ee849]

I am currently having the same problem and it seems to ease then come back. The last 3/4 weeks id put it down to dry skin due to having heating on non stop and the cold weather, only ive been moisturising loads and it hasnt helped.
Ive done the usual, tried fragrance free detergents moisturisers etc but nothing helps.
My back, espeically the top of it is really itchy! It goes down my back, neck, arms and over my shoulders neck and chest. Today ive had itching in my hair and face which i dont usually have. Its driving me slightly mad.
Ive been told i have a skin fungus on my back which everyone carries but sometimes grows with exessive sweat or heat (i used to go to the gym or run 5 times a week so i suppose that explains it). Ive recently noticed the patches have got a little bigger and i have extra ones and am not sure if i can see little ones on my breasts or not. Im extremely pale anyway so without having been in the sun they are so hard to see. I have been treated by the gp but they didnt go. I have today got anti dandruff shampoo which is recommended as a cure and am going to use canesten on it as ive seen on an nhs site this is what to do. Worth a try. If not im going back to the gp.
Its horrid typing in symptoms online and getting the worst problems come up. I have enlarged lymph glands in my neck and read itching is related to cancer there so thats at the back of my mind too. Had the glands scanned in nov and were told they looked ok just big. They are more painful and slightly larger since and have seen the dr about this but am seeing how i go with those. Recently tested pos for epstein barr and the ent guy i saw said that may be why they got so big and each time i pick up a virus they grow a little more and dont go down.
Wishing you the best xx

[amdfanboy]

Sounds like where in the same boat. My head and face don't itch though. I've been using anti dandruff shampoo for years. Doesn't matter what the weather is like, but mostly happens in the colder days probably cause of the heat.

I used to work out a lot until I got in a bad accident that wasn't my fault. A few months ago I had a painful lump appear on my knee, and it was their for a good month, but I didn't have money to see a doctor so I grabbed my pocket knife, cut off the lump, and dug in a little to remove some strange particles, but it healed up, and no more pain.

[ee849]

I wonder if my face and head itching is like a knock on effect...as in if someone mentions insects it makes us itch? Im aware something is making me itch then it starts elsewhere? I dont know, im calling the dr though. Im in the uk so have the nhs. My partner got me an appointment in a harley street drs in london, its a full set of bloods ecg, and basic mot so am planning on using that in the next month or so if i cant get answers from my gp.
Its so worrying to have something like this. I wish i knew for sure why my glands are so bad, they are giving me a lot of pain today so am feeling sorry for myself. My top of the back is most itchy, the anti dandruff shampoo isnt working yet but only just started using it. Am going to ask the doc for a stronger anti fundal cream than the 2% ive been using.
Funny you should mention a knee lump too...i have had a lump under the skin on my knee since i was 14/15. Im 29 now. Its flat but soooo painful if i bash it and recently its like woken up and started hurting on its own. Something else i may as well mention so i dont have to keep going back to the dr.  Im quite a regular at the moment! My body seems to have started going haywire and everything is going wrong in the ast few years.

[amdfanboy]

Yea, I hate going to the doc too, and haven't seen one in ages. Even after that accident I should've gone, but instead continued to meet up with some friends. I blacked out for a while, woke up, couldn't move my right leg, but I knew i'd probably get feeling back, and about 10min. later I had feeling again.

I'm working on a few business plans, and then going to see a doc or go to the hospital, cause I have a lot of pain in my legs no matter what I do. If I rest, sleep, exercise, walk, run, sit, ect. I know its from the accident though. I haven't been able to walk a straight line since that accident.

[ee849]

Yeh you should have gone by the sound of it! I have sensory problem like tingles with no explanation but know things like slipped discs, compressed nerves/irritated nerves etc will cause the sensation you described in your leg. My calcium being low caused tingles but the other things, like waves of tingles, mobile phone vibrations and altered sensations are probably somethign else which they currently cant find a cause of. You might have sciatica?

I went to docs today, he ordered a couple of ultrasounds and gave me trimovate for my back. He thought the tinea was clearing up but hes never seen it before and this is the worst its ever been! At least he was helpful enough to start things off with a scan though x