Severe Itching?

[IncrediBeast]

I'm not exactly sure where to start, but I'll do my best to explain my problem here.  I'm a 17 year old male, 6 foot 1 inches tall and 170 pounds.

Basically what happens is I get these itching attacks where my neck, jawline, chest, shoulders, head, arms, and thighs get extremely and uncontrollably itchy.  At the same time it's like a very strong tingling, like thousands of needles being stabbed into your skin, almost like when your foot goes asleep.  During these attacks, the itching seems to come in strange waves over my body, with the itchy patches jumping all around my skin.  99% of the time it doesn't make a rash unless I scratch, and if I do my skin becomes a bit red, sometimes with tiny bumps.  These rashes go away within about five minutes after scratching them.

It seems that these attacks are brought on by a few things.  If I am in an even slightly uncomfortable situation, the attack will build up over about 30 seconds and reach its peak for another 30 seconds or so, then dying down over a couple of minutes.  I also get these attacks if I perform any physical activity that takes effort, like jogging for a couple of minutes.  In this case the itching persists until I stop for a couple of minutes.  This itching is absolutely unbearable so I HAVE to stop or I feel like I'll go insane.

It seems to me that this itching is brought on when my skin pores start to open, or if they're getting ready to work or something.  Today as an experiment, I turned on the shower to a very hot temperature and let the room get steamy and hot.  I waited in the room, not getting wet, seeing if anything would happen.  Sure enough, after about ten minutes of standing in the steam, I got a terrible itching attack and I fell to the floor scratching myself and I got the rash on my chest, which went away after a couple of minutes.  This attack persisted for about five minutes and slowed down as I rubbed a rough washcloth on the parts that itched.  The attack didn't completely stop until I got in the shower after setting the temperature to lukewarm or slightly cool, however.

Here are some specific things that have brought on attacks:

-Talking to girls, being slightly uncomfortable (obviously)

-Getting put on the spot by peers

-Wrestling with my brother

-Jogging up a slight incline in the snow the other day

-Being hot, almost to the point of sweating

-Light physical activity



Strangely, these attacks started again a couple of months ago after a three month or so break from them.  In those three months I didn't get these attacks and was able to perform physical activity.  I went to dances, exercised, etc. with no problems.

I think this sort of thing started about three years ago, where if I got a little uncomfortable my head would itch just a little bit, but it was totally bearable.  Also, if I took hot showers, I would have red blotches on me that would go away after about half an hour.  My condition didn't start getting bad until about December of last year.

I have briefly mentioned my condition to my doctor but he kind of blew it off and just told me it was because of stress without even looking into the problem, and said I needed to learn to live with it.  He wasn't really any help at all.

Anyways, here's what I think MIGHT be causing the problem, but I'm no expert:

Maybe the hot showers I take cause toxins to get into my skin, and when my skin pores are "activated" it causes me to itch uncontrollably?  Maybe when I get into those uncomfortable situations, my skin pores get "ready" or something and it causes me to itch?

Or maybe an increase in heart rate is what's causing my itching?  For example, physical activity and getting hot, or being uncomfortable.

Then again, I got my wisdom teeth out maybe a month ago and I was so nervous and my heart was absolutely POUNDING, yet I didn't get itchy at all.


This itching is absolutely taking over my life...I tend to avoid situations that might be slightly uncomfortable where before I would be all for it, and I don't exercise anymore for fear of itching.  When the "triggers" that cause these attacks happen, I'd say an itching attack is brought on 80-90% of the time.  All I want is my life back and I just don't know what to do; I need an answer so I can get on with my life.

Thank you so much and I hope you're able to answer my question.

~Brian

[willy851]

This sounds like eczema. A horrible incurable condition that destroys peoples lives.
Dermatologists make most of their money by perpetuating the symptoms of this disease,
You need to change your diet and the products you currently use. Laundry detergents, dryer pads and bleach all cause problems. Change your diet to fruits and vegetables and stay away from processed foods. Eczema is caused by a digestive disorder, but unfortunately it comes back if you eat a problem food.
I kept it away for years, just by staying away from acidic. spicy foods, processed sugar and preservatives.
This is hard and depends how bad your symptoms are, But I have talked with people that had this condition since birth and it went away in a couple of months,
I only apply moisturizer on after shower.    Never ever use steroids!

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

This sounds like atopic dermatitis.

The skin of a patient with atopic dermatitis reacts abnormally and easily to irritants, food, and environmental allergens and becomes red, flaky and very itchy. It also becomes vulnerable to surface infections caused by bacteria. The skin on the flexural surfaces of the joints (for example inner sides of elbows and knees) are the most commonly affected regions in people.

Excessive heat (especially with humidity) and coldness are known to provoke outbreaks, as well as sudden and extreme temperature swings.

To combat the severe dryness associated with eczema, a high-quality, dermatologist approved moisturizer should be used daily. Moisturizers should not have any ingredients that may further aggravate the condition. Moisturizers are especially effective if applied within 5-10 minutes after bathing.

Most commercial soaps wash away the oils produced by the skin that normally serve to prevent drying. Using a soap substitute such as aqueous cream helps keep the skin moisturized. A non-soap cleanser can be purchased usually at a local drug store. Showers should be kept short and at a lukewarm/moderate temperature.

If moisturizers on their own don't help and the eczema is severe, a doctor may prescribe topical corticosteroid ointments, creams, or injections. Corticosteroids have traditionally been considered the most effective method of treating severe eczema.

It would be advisable to consult a skin specialist for your symptoms and a proper clinical examination if your symptoms persist.

Let us know about how you are doing and if you need any other information.

Post us about what your doctor advises.

Regards.