My legs will NOT stop itching...

[Aiene]

I'm 24 years old this month, female, I live on the west coast where it's always mild and cool for the most part, and NOTHING I do will stop my legs from itching. I lived in the midwest for awhile and noticed my legs itched a lot more there with the humidity, but it didn't stop when I moved back home.

It's so bad it wakes me up a lot during the night. I will scratch until I am bleeding and bruised, I'll even take a pumice stone to my legs on really bad days and scratch with that, but then my legs burn for a few days although I'd rather have that pain than annoying itching.

Things that seem to trigger/affect it are showering (particularly hot showers - but i'm allergic to hot water, i get white bumps and red patches from it), sweating, dry weather or humid weather, being cold in the slightest, if my legs rest on top of eachother while i'm laying down, shaving (although sometimes it stops itching for the first day).

I've tried switching soaps, detergents etc all that, I generally avoid any perfumed items. I've tried not shaving, and it makes no difference. After a month of not shaving I was still itchy, just more hairy. Aveeno products seem to be the best for my legs.

Moisturizers seem to actually make it worse for the most part. The only one that seems to help is Cetaphil.

It itches most on the backs of my upper thighs and lower legs but once i start scratching it itches everywhere.

Other issues I have include vitiligo on my legs, pelvis, and lower back, I've been told that is due to the fact that I am iGA deficient, which also causes me to get sick a lot. I am extremely hypermobile and have chronic joint pain. I take medication for anxiety/panic attacks/depression and I have switched meds a few times, no change on the itchy legs with the switching.

Please make the itching stop, I'm going crazy here =(



This discussion is related to Itchy legs, no sign of rash or irritation.

[Kpril18]

What brand of sea salt did you use??

[Kpril18]

What kind of sea salt did you use?

[reliefinflorida]

You hit the nail on the head.  In Florida the day the seasons change from summer to fall, almost to the minute my legs start to itch.  Then when spring hits summer the itching goes away.  Thank god for two things and I am not being religious here.  

One, in Florida although summer officially hits in June, it feels like summer March, so my legs stop itching.
Two, since I brush my dogs hair every day, I had to find a brush that would not hurt their skin since I usually brush stroke each dog about eight hundred times to get their hair to shine without hurting their skin from the amount of brushing.  That brush and I am not condoning scratching that itch, however, that brush has little hard plastic dimples on the end of each bristle and now in addition to brushing their hair with it I take it to bed with me and when I wake up in the morning I do not have any sores on my legs.

I can constantly scratch without even thinking or getting up out of a complete sleep with this brush and there is no damage to my skin let alone the type of damage I used to inflict on myself with my fingernails.   My thinking is if I am going to scratch then I do not want any other complications to breaking the skin.

[fragolinka915]

So, I've read most of the comments and would like to add my own. I searched this because I'm suffering as well. It's only been a few months, but I had this last summer on the shins, but only briefly. Would scratch until I bled, but passed with the changing of seasons. Summer came again and it came back, only now the hot summer is over and I still have it, but much worse. I dig into my legs until I bleed and it spreads from the shins to the ankles, and sometimes thighs.
I have no answer, but the sulfite/sulfate allergy doesn't seem to fit in my case. Someone else suggested a vitamin D3/K deficiency, but I'm not sure about that.
Someone else suggested researching Candida, which struck a cord. I'm a 26/f and have been suffering from chronic yeast infections (sorry, gross). I went to a doctor and was STD free, so we really couldn't figure out what was causing it bc I was doing everything in a way that's meant to avoid a yeast infection.
But, I was at the dentist as well because my tongue seemed to be discolored (kind of yellow) and he told me it wasn't dental, it could be a bacteria and I should see a dr. The doctor couldn't really offer insight, but it's kind of coming together if it's a Candida-related issue. Yeast is obviously candida related, as can be bacteria on the tongue. I also read that probiotics can help eczema.
I started a 13 billion CFU/day probiotic regimen last week, to no avail, but we'll see if it helps.
Also, drinking enough water is probably a good simple remedy, too.
Also someone mentioned make sure your fingernails are clean. If you are going to scratch and break skin, it's probably better to not do it with dirty hands (or foreign objects i.e. hair brushes, or beer caps if you're me).

[cherie67]

I am in my forties also and it is mostly the back of my thighs!  I swear it is going to drive me insane!  I soooo don't know what to do!  It just showed up one day and has been killing me ever since!

[Eefa258]

I know this is an old thread but I suffered the same things on my lower legs and nothing would clear it. It seemed to then spread to my thighs and hips. It was unbearable. Id been to the GP, chemist, health food shops and dermatologist to no avail. I then went and got Laser Hair removal done on my lower legs and since its been done I haven'rt had a single itch. The girl doing the laser treatment said my hair was growing back at an odd angle every time I shaved and it was causing the irritation and I made it worse by scratching. The relief when I got it done was unreal. That's what worked for me, if I hadn't gotten it done Id still be scalding myself in the shower for relief