Recurring Itch

It seems that I'm stuck in a state of continual itch. It will show up for seemingly no reason and leave red patches that last only minutes. It occurs everywhere from my legs to my scalp. Most notably, it happens when I leave my shower. I've recently switched to a body wash with no scents or dyes for sensitive skin, but it still happens. I'm going through a pretty difficult time with the death of my father, and thats just around the time it started. Can depression and or stress cause itchy rashes? Thanks for any advice.

[chellybeans]

yes, your emotions can cause both pruritis and urticaria. do you get bumps? if yes, then i would lean towards urticaria(hives) if no the pruritis, which is simply generalized itching that can have no apparent cause. the human mind can do strange things to us.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

'Urticaria is generally caused by direct contact with an allergenic substance, or an immune response to food or some other allergen, but can also appear for other reasons, notably emotional stress. The rash can be triggered by quite innocent events, such as mere rubbing or exposure to cold.

You could take some oral antihistamine or antiallergic medications like loratadine or cetrizine and see if it helps with your symptoms. Apply calamine lotion at the site of the lesions to help soothe the itching.

Have you had allergic reactions in the past? Are you allergic to any specific substances?

You could read more about the condition at the following link -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticaria

Let us know about how you are doing and post us about what your doctor advises.

Post us if you need any further information.

Regards.