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What causes this particular type of sunburn itch?

So...I just graduated with a degree in environmental biology. I have a working knowledge of basic (I mean, VERy basic) animal (and human) physiology, but most of my courses were more "big picture" kinda things. Oh, and lots of stats.

Anyway, so 2 days ago I got this sunburn on my back. It's not horrible, but it is a healthy pink. Pretty painful. Now, I have this...condition. When I get a decent sunburn, I itch, but it's not the "normal" sunburn itch. It happens exactly 2 days after the initial sunburn. It is what I have come to know as "hell itch". I've found descriptions on numerous forums that describe this itch to a "T". It drives you insane. You become a madman/madwoman for about a day. You cannot scratch it. Any type of lotion/cream/ANYTHING causes it to itch more, ESPECIALLY the creams designed specifically for sunburn.

Now here's the deal: I'm not a sissy. I'm very outdoorsy. I can take some pain. But I can't take the "hell itch". I need to know: what causes it? I know that your body is getting rid of the dead skin cells and new skin is...blah blah blah, yeah I get that but that doesn't give me any specifics. What is the biological mechanism that drives this itching? My thinking is, if I know what causes it (specifically), I'll better know how to treat it.

For example, if it's a histamine response to the dead skin cells/debris that are still present in the skin, I would think a strong anti-histamine (prescription strength hydroxyzine perhaps? I mention this specifically because I have a small stash of it from an old prescription) would help. I also know dry skin is a leading cause of itching, but as I mentioned before lotions/skin moisturizers seem to make it unbearably worse. Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated. And remember: this is NOT the normal sunburn itch.
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Avatar universal
I have a hypothesis that I am in no position to test. I think it might be because of sun damage to muscles. I know that many people do not get proper circulation in their back so muscles there can dry out causing cramps and if the itch is so deep we cant scratch it... I just experienced it for the first time and my mom put some kind of burn spray and gave me both ibprofin and benedryl, which are both antihistamines. The itch is barable but still there and still annoying but not as dabilitaing. I was screaming bloody murder before.
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Avatar universal
Had this Hell's Itch/worst pain ever 5 times. For next 3 burns my PCP gave me Gabapentin, for nerve pain & itch, & my Derm said to take OTC Heliocare, helps block damage to cells, & benadryl, antihistamine; all of these I started taking after my initial burn like clockwork every 6 hours for 72 hours & I haven't gotten the itch. Done this after 3 burns & no itch. Could be the medicine working or just luck.
It pisses me off that no-one in the medical field has this medical crisis researched & figured out. I think it's related to nerve endings under the skin firing off pain/itch signals & so did my PCP. So it's most likely a neurological issue.
B4 the meds the only thing that worked was someone holding me down & ICING the area until it was numb & repeating. Need alot of ice btw.
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Avatar universal
A & D diaper rash ointment. It helps almost immediately. Especially if you take a very hot shower first (the shower almost itches it for you a little). My husband and I have both had it this year. Almost feels like a burn you'd get from welding, like a deeper burn. I have it right this second and I am only good because of the ointment. It flares up now and then and I will reapply but it does take it totally away at times. Use an old shirt ad bed sheets,  its going to stain it.
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Avatar universal
Once you start to feel that first itch coming on, hop in a hot shower right away. After about twenty minutes, get out and DO NOT dry the area off with a towel. Pace around for awhile and get your mind off the itching. Do whatever it takes to not itch the sunburn, even though you think you are going insane. It will hopefully subside within 15-20 minutes. This has worked for me the past few times the itch has appeared, and I have managed to keep the insanity at bay. Hope this helps anyone out there, because this skin condition is unlike anything in the world.
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Avatar universal
Okay update I just put coconut oil (100% pure) over the itching area and it is helping!
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Avatar universal
I experienced this "Hells itch" this week and I can honestly say it's probably the worst, most annoying thing ever. I have my senior prom coming up and I wanted to get a little tan before hand so I Decided to go to the tanning bed I went for 3 days an laid no more than 5 mins on each side all three times the first time of course I couldn't really tell any difference the second time I was a little more brown and even the third time I didn't notice I was burnt I started to itch a little which is normal after a small burn so I didn't think about anything so when I got home and took a shower I noticed a little stink so I got out and put some aloe lotion on my chest an stomach and I got a little relief I went on to bed and I woke up at about 3:39 a.m. In crazy pain so I rubbed some more aloe lotion on my chest an stomach and went to sleep about 15 mins later the same thing I didn't understand why this was itching ans hurting so bad I have never felt anything like this before I kept waking up and doing the same thing every 15 mins i eventually just got up at around 6:30 a.m. And still agonizing pain I continued to put aloe lotion on it and went to school that day was the longest day ever I continued to put aloe lotion on it all day and nothing changed just a few minutes of relief then god awful itching again at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon it go so bad that I literally got dizzy I just went an sat in the bathroom floor and begged for relief the itching stopped for again about 15 mins so I started doing research and I read everyone's stories and I tried everything obviously the aloe lotion was NOT working so I went to the store an got some A&d ointment which is actually just diaper rash cream and at this point I would try anything so I put the cream all over me put my clothes back on an went back to work I noticed the itching had somewhat went away but again it came back this time maybe an hour later so I decided to just go ahead an leave work early that night because I couldn't stand it any longer so I went home and took a steaming hot bath and that helped so u put the diaper rash cream on it again and it did NOTHING so I took some benadryl and ibuprofen and got back in the shower to wash off the cream the itching finally stopped long enough for me to fall asleep but again I woke up at about 12 and again at 12:30 and then again every 15-30 mins it was absolutely miserable so today I decided not to go to school and I got in the shower again as hot as i could stand and this time I didn't put anything on my skin no lotion or cream or even soap I just got out and all I put on was underwear and I just laid on the coach as still as possible and I got a small fan and plugged it up and everything I felt like I needed to scratch I just blew the fan on me ans rubbed the area that was itching very softly with my hand and FINALLY I got to sleep for maybe an hour and I woke up and it was still tolerable so I did just that I laid here for a while doing the same thing with the fan and rubbing my hand over the itching area softly at about 11:30a.m. I got in the shower again and again turned the water up as hot as i could stand and I took a Zyrtec and today is alot more tolerable than yesterday so maybe this is the end of it!!!!!
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Avatar universal
I just experienced this intense itch tonight, after using a tanning lamp 2 days ago. I received a horrible burn on my back, light burns on both upper arms and a mild burn on my face. Today, I started feeling a little itchy, and thought, ok, it's healing. But as the evening wore on, the itching increased. It then suddenly changed from itching I could stand to itching that I had to scratch, to itching, tingling, and spasming that no scratching could relive. Thank God for the Internet and those of you who bravely suffered before me. I googled "itch from hell," and stared reading, as I yowled in pain and my hubby strapped ice packs to both my arms. Hell's Itch, it would s called. I kept reading and found a to do list that started with hydrate and take an aspiring right after the burn. I can't take aspirin, but I popped an ibuprofen. Then it suggested Benadryl. Don't have any, but I do have Allegra. Pop. After that - boiling hot shower. That sounds painful. Peppermint oil - I happened to have some food grade peppermint oil that I intended to put in some chocolate candies, so I opened it and rubbed it on my arms, but it is so strong that the fumes are burning my eyes. I am laying in bed, my arms are starting to feel too, but it feels like a trail of fire ants are marching up and down my back with needles on their feet. OMG, hot shower, here I come!
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Avatar universal
HERE IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL WORK GUARANTEED. Go to the ER and tell the ER doctor to Google Hells itch, because he probably never heard of it. Then tell them to give you an Antihistamine via IV. That will work like a charm. The only other option is, is to have someone blow a hot blow-dryer on the burnt area , but that only last as long as the blowing does. If you have easy access to an ER, that's the way to go. I tried almost everything else. I never had a greater feeling than Hells Itch becoming Heavens Slumber.
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Avatar universal
In the tub right now reading all these comments. Benadryl kicking in - Thank Goodness. Creams, sprays, allies do not work. Time, antihistamines, and hot water seems to. From now on I will never ever go the beach without spf 50 AND a swimshirt with upf protection.
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Avatar universal
My 11 year old suffered from this hell itch today exactly 48 hrs after he was in the sun.  Nothing helped {aloe, power, shower} he was screaming, crying, jumping up and down, itching and freaking out.  Thank you all for your remedies I gave him an antihistamine and put peppermint oil.. And FINALLY some relief.  If this ever happens again I will be taking him to the doctor and getting a rx for him.  THIS IS NOT A JOKE.  My heart was breaking for him I felt so helpless.  
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Avatar universal
I've had countless numbers of sun burns in my life, living in Florida and being outdoorsy ad a kid, I've had the painful burn accompanied by tiny blisters and peel skin. I even worked at a tanning salon where I received free tans so yeah, I've definitely been a lobster more times than I can count... well its now been a few years since I've been burned, being older I now know the dangers of the sun, but I was at the beach over the weekend and decided to lay out and soak up some rays... this was Saturday, it's now Monday and I'm expecting the most painful thing in my LIFE and I've given birth! I feel like I'm losing my mind, I just was able to gather my composure after I crumpled in a ball in the shower, screening in agony. This pins and needles itch is unlike anything I have EVER experienced and if I could remove the skin from my back and shoulders, I would gladly do so. I feel like I'm losing my mind! I just read a few posts about taking a HOT shower and while that seems like the LAST thing I want to do right now, it's definitely worth a shot! I'll return with my follow-up if I survive lol...
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...here's my update, I'm baffled and would love to see some science as to why that worked! I probably have 3rd degree burns on the backs of my legs but the pins and needles itch had completely disappeared!! That's the craziest thing I've ever experienced! I also took some OTC allergy medication  (not benadryl) but I'm not sure if it contributed to any relief or not... God Bless the man that made the scalding hot shower!
Avatar universal
Im currently on holiday in Thailand with my wife and our daughter and a couple of days ago I took her to the Cartoon Network Waterpark. Great fun! Highly recommended. But as it was overcast that day I delayed applying the factor 50 sunscreen to myself by about 75mins in the hope that I could get a nice little tan. My daughter was well covered from the get-go so no problems for her. I inevitably ended up with sunburn, but not bad sunburn by any stretch, and not nearly as bad as what Ive experienced in the past. Anyways, I woke up about 6.30 this morning with just a slight itching on my chest. I immediately applied more Aloe gel expecting it to provide some relief but instead I ended up in HELL!!!! My chest and my back.... HOLY $HIT!!!!! I had to do something quick before I went insane, so I took a cold shower and it did absolutely nothing! Checking the interwebs for a clue I found this and another forum- but I couldnt just risk trying the methods of hot showers, cool packs, 100% peppermint oil etc etc, as Im due to be on a 14 hour flight back to Edinburgh in 2 days, so it was straight to the Emergency Room at the shiniest looking local hospital. Was given an injection of something, not sure what it was, but was told it was for the itching. Within 30mins the itching had subsided to a tolerable level. The relief was immense! Now taking 10mg of Hydroxyzine 3 times a day after meals and 10mg of Prednisolone 4 times a day and it seems to be doing the trick rather nicely. As a precaution though, I attempted to obtain the peppermint oil just in case the effects of the meds start to wear out before my flight- but to no avail. I swear that if I board that plane and this Hells Itch, Insanity Causing Itch, Suicide Itch, or whatever you want to call it, flares up again, I will be imprisoned in some backwards country and be shamed as the person who disrupted a bunch of peoples travel plans as our plane was forced into an emergency landing due to my in-flight shenanigans. And as far as the pain and discomfort on a scale from 0-10 goes, I give this sucker 1000!!!!!!!! If they could bottle this beast and disperse it over a large populace, it would definitely be classified as a WMD.

And BTW, I'm brown haired with nice tanning skin, unlike the Ginger haired, freckled, pink skinned type you normally associate with Scotland.

Seriously though, this condition demands more professional research and greater public awareness for sure.
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Second time I have had this HORRENDOUS itch , I have tried every cream home remedies you name it I have tried it !!!!! Only thing that does actually work for me is Benadryl and BOILING hot showers !!!! Whenever you feel the itch returning get straight in the shower as hot as you can take it ... I get about 45 mins relief in between showers which is better than I have had all day
Avatar universal
I've had the "hell itch" quite a few times in my life. Now I've been on holidays to sunny destinations and spent weeks soaking up loads of sun and getting a lovely colour - and no hell itch or minor rashes of any kind occur (I can go quite a pale white during the winters so I am prone to sunburn if I'm not careful). Then there are other accounts where I have been away, particularly as a child, where tanning was not on my list of things to do, shade was preferred minus being in the pool, and yet I have lost my mind to the madness of the hell itch. It is this inconsistent nature that makes it all the more frustrating to me when I can feel it coming and I always find myself screaming why this time? What have I done differently? What lotion did I use this time? What did I EAT? Etc... Exhausting. Anyway my theory is that it is not caused so much by exposure to sun-rays or the healing of sunburn, but by excessive sweating due to high body temperature for extended periods, which may be why it is inconsistent to how severe your sunburn is, and why some of us have got the hell itch even without having being sunburnt or tanned at all - which I have. Similar to "prickly heat", the itch could be caused by sweat glands working overtime and becoming blocked, and when this happens, you have trapped sweat underneath the skin, and as a result you are left with the unbearable hell itch that simply won't go away (again, this is just my theory). For example, I am currently experiencing what might be the beginning phase of the hell itch on my upper back and around my shoulder blades. I have been lying on my back for this whole holiday, exposing only my front to the sun and my back is the only irritated part. What with my back being pressed against my sunbed all week, maybe this area has produced and collected the most sweat. Now I have stupidly allowed myself to sweat quite a bit (just trying to enjoy the sun but apparently I'm not allowed!), and have dipped into the pool maybe every hour or so with my body temperature in mind, but I don't think I have made enough visits to the pool to stop blockage to my sweat glands. dipping into a pool will bring your body temperature down, but if you've left it too late and your sweat glands are already blocked up, I'm guessing chlorine will just add to your problems as the pool water soaks into your open paws. My advice if you suffer from this but don't want to go home with no colour, try and prevent sweating in the sun as much as possible, even if it means dipping in the pool every time you feel like you're drying up from your last dip in the water, or finding some shade every 20 minutes and cooling down. If you are using a high factor sunblock like 40 or 50 as a defence against the itch, you'll end up spending more time sweating in the sun trying to get colour through the thick sunscreen - sunblock won't stop you sweating so it won't defend against the itch. Short 20-30 minute periods of sun with a lower factor cream may put you at more risk of slight sunburn, but likely a better defence against the hell itch, and I'd rather be burnt than have the itch and that's saying something. if you do feel the itch coming, avoid sweating, avoid the pool, stay in the shade... the pool can't help you now. Lastly my email is mellod.***@**** please if anyone can confirm that my theory is correct, or if you have a more accurate theory let me know! The answer to avoiding this god forsaken itch is invaluable to me. Especially considering no doctor has ever been able to help me either.
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Avatar universal
UPDATE:  The peppermint oil WORKS. I tried it for the first time a couple weeks ago; what a relief! I will always us this in the future.
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Avatar universal
I have to say I never in my life experienced anything close to this until a few hours ago. I'm about 48 hours after getting burned and a simple itch turned I to madness. I literally was going insane.   I never heard of hell itch and have always gotten sunburn on my initial day out in the summer but nothing like what I just experienced.  It was driving me mad and I couldn't read articles online fast enough. Without going to get a prescription for a serious steroid my only option seemed to be the peppermint oil I read about. I ran to my car and sped to the nearest place I could find. GNC carries a bottle and I was taking my shirt off on the way out of the store and just dumping it on my chest. It took a few min but what a difference. I still have a minor twitch and itch but nothing like it was.  The peppermint oil saved me a trip to the ER. It was really that unbearable. And I totally agree that you have to experience it to really understand what we are talking about. The peppermint oil is definitely worth trying if you want some relief.
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Avatar universal
My 19 year old son got this for the first time today.  We had no idea what we were dealing with, and he was acting like he was in sheer agony.  I called the doc and the nuse said to bring him in to look at it and make suggestions.  Well, he that he'd and twitched and vocalize in such a fashion that the doc suspected drug use or psychotic breakdown, calling the police and and ambulance.  My doc actually chuckled at me when I said that my son just needed relief from the pain and itch, saying there was a lot more going on and that it was "all psychological."  Angry we convinced the team called on for help that he didn't need to go to the hospital and the EMTS got him to calm down by tying ice packs wrapped in a pillowcase around his back.  Being very disturbed by the medical community's lack of knowledge combined with our doctor's lack of compassion I turned to the Internet for answers.  The first article we found suggested the extremely hot shower and what relief!  Relief both in knowing others have experienced this exact scenario, relief in knowing he wasn't nuts or overreacting and best of all, almost instant relief from the hellish itch. I am almost certainly going to find a new medical group though.  I thought they knew my family better,trusting in them with that belief-but their attitude and actions
revealed the truth.
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That's terrible. You should make a serious complaint. Your son could have ended up in an extremely serious and life threatening situation if you had followed this 'professional' medical advice (BS). Next time, try to get him some Hydroxyzine. This is my first day of having this terrible condition - went to ER and was prescribed Hydroxyzine and it is working really well. Taking 10mg 3 times a day.
Good luck!
Avatar universal
I've lived with this condition my whole life (red-head, fair skin... ugh).  When I got sunburns as a child, I would endure this itch every time.  I still do now.  I am very good about using sunscreen every time I go out in the sun.  What's interesting is that I thought that I would only get hell itch when I got burned, but as it turns out, there's another component to this.  I went to the Caribbean last week.  Dowsed myself with SPF 50 sunscreen every day (with bronzers this time so I could get a little color too).  I did well, didn't burn, but actually did manage to get a reddish 'tan' color.  I was happy . . . until the last couple nights.  It turns out that I don't actually have to burn to get the itch.  Just the fact that I got so much sun, my skin must've gotten damaged and is now healing itself.  I got the itch really bad on one section of my back last night, and wasn't prepared.  Took benedryl and got maybe 2 hours of sleep, ugh.  This is important to know now, so I don't try so hard to get a tan.  I need to just learn that it's just not worth it.
Here are a few tips that I've learned over the years (some of which you've already seen in this blog):
1. NEVER go in a chlorinated pool when you get the itch.  That may cool you off while you're submerged, but the chlorine will wreak havoc and make it MUCH MUCH worse.  It is hereditary, and I saw my dad try that years ago.  I wanted to cry watching his reaction after the pool - nightmare!
2. Don't scratch.  It will come back 10 times worse.
3. Aloe, creams, etc. DO NOT WORK.  I have not tried the peppermint oil, though.  Will need to give it a try if i need to again. I've also read that A & D ointment helps too - helps the skin heal faster.  Again, I haven't tried this, but I don't give it much stock.
4.  Load up on the Benedryl.  You will be drowsy/groggy, but definitely worth the alternative.  Start taking it as soon as you get the burn and know that the itch is coming . . . and you WILL know.
5.  If it's really really bad, seek medical attention so you can get a steroid injection or prescription strength meds.  I've never gone this route either, but probably should have a couple times.
Hope this helps anyone unfortunate enough to have to deal with this nightmare.  Good luck and god bless.
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Avatar universal
Hi,  I just came back from Phuket, Thailand with my family. When we 1st go there my son 15 yo got sunburnt on his shoulders, not really bad, but pink and stinging. So I put aloe vera gel on, as you do and thought he would be ok as long as he didn't get burnt again. So the next day it seemed to have gone down and he was happily swimming again, in the ocean and pool.  The next day 48 hours after the initial sunburn (thats important I see)  he started to complain of being itchy.  We had decided to walk to the next beach, about 30 minutes away, for lunch. He was particularly grumpy. We suggested getting a longboat to a small island nearby to feed the fish and snorkel. He didn't want to go and seemed very uncomfortable, pulling on his t-shirt. I asked him what was wrong and he said his back is so itchy, it was p---ing him off.  (the 1st time I've heard him swear so I knew it must be bad).  So I decided we should get a taxi back to the hotel.  There was a pharmacy in the town, so I went in asked for something for his sunburn and itching.  She gave me a cream for burns.  When we got home, I slathered it on him and gave him cold towels over his shoulders.  It seemed to be getting worse.  I told him to have a cool shower and I had some strong ibruprofen slow release tablets with me and decided it might help reduce whatever imflammation might be happening.  About an hour later he seemed to calm down. So we stayed indoors in the a/c for the rest of the day and that night I gave him more cream and another tablet.  The next day he was still itchy and i suggested a swim in the pool to cool down.  Thirty minutes later he was in all sorts of trouble.  We went back to the room and he was twitching and jumping around, he wanted to have scolding hot showers, he suggested getting a hot knife and cutting off his skin or finding an iron and ironing his back. He was punching the couch.  I don't know why but because I have a problem with high histamines I thought maybe he was having a histamine reaction.  So i ran back to the pharmacy and told her what was happening and she gave me a steriod cream.  BUT I BOUGHT ANTI HISTAMINE TABLETS!
Within an hour the hells itch started to ease off, so I knew i was on the right track, so i started to google and found this page.  Thank God!  Also we were right next door to a herbal treatment centre that sold 100% pure peppermint oil!  Eureka!   I read that it could help, I didn't know whether to put it on diluted or not, so i dabbed it on straight.  Anyway it burnt him, but it stopped the itch.  So for the next 3 days i gave him an anti histamine tablet and put on the peppermint oil.  That worked.  It was unbelievable.  Only can be described as Hells Itch!  Thank god for this blog.  Dont buy creams, go straight for the peppermint and antihistamine tablets.  And god help you if you get it and I'm not religious!
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Avatar universal
I just recently got in the sun for longer than I should (I have Lupus). Redness has gone away, but there is an intensified itching sensation that leaves my body itching and on fire. But why? There is no burn. The aftermath of the sunburn has begun and it is literally HELL. I have tried everything and I was desperate for some sort of relief. Literally all of the remedies above could not calm my excruciating pain. I tried something that changed my sleepless nights forever. Dermoplast. It is in a blue spray can that you can find at any pharmacy. Found it at Walgreens. It is a numbing spray that isnt anywhere near as bad as an ice pack. It is called "burn and itch pain relieving spray". It gives the most relief and it is used by hospitals to dumb a bad burn. It's super cheap. I HIGHLY recommend this for "Hell's Itch".I'm truly sorry for anyone who has to experience this pain.
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Avatar universal
Here I am, whimpering like a dog.
Hell's itch, oh hell's itch, why have you forsaken me?
Two long days, one red back.
Three odd treatments, water, aloe and jack.
Never again will I ignore the sun,
the itch enough to enrage anyone.
And thank you for all your comments here,
I'm less likely to pull out my hair.

So let it be said, let it be known,
let us feel for the blistered garden gnome.
When a forlorn and pink friend complains "horrible itch",
friend, you are not alone - hell is a *****!
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Avatar universal
It is crazy to see that this is an active thread since 2010. But for me it is currently 4:47 in the morning and I have read every post possible. Every time I experience this curse of an itch I come to this site for comfort. I have reddish blonde hair / blue eyes and natural pale skin. I love to tan, however I burn easier than I tan. When I first experienced Hell's itch years ago, I remember it being the worst thing I have ever gone through in my entire life, screaming, cursing and punching the wall. Long story short I told myself I would never burn again. Well, we all make mistakes, and about a month ago I got hell's itch from getting a bad sunburn on my back (only place I get the itch). I told all of my friends what was going on and they thought I was crazy and were making fun of me. But not having any sort of medication, I lay with my shirt off on my stomach with a cold compress on my back which numbed me up a little bit. Hell's itch is even worse when youre trying to sleep because trust me you might as well stay up like me. I am at the beach right now and I took the precautions of using sunscreen. HERE IS THE FUNNY THING,  I did not get burned except the back of my legs. But here I am, itching like hell on my back. I have no burn on my back but just the slightest bit of color from sun exposure.

Make sure you are wearing a shirt. Also, I sprayed some sort of cold spray on my back which took away the itch about 95%. Now it is a matter of going back to sleep which I cannot do. I hope that with all of you suffering out there you can get through it. I am going to take up on the advice on antihistamines and benadryl for next time.

GOODLUCK
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14962625 tn?1437587788
Okay, I am by no means an expert on Hell's Itch, however, I have experienced this a few times in my life so I may be able to shed some light on the subject. Most recently on 7/18/15, I was out in the sun for a few hours. My wife took the sunblock with her and my daughter as me and my two boys went next door to jump in their pool. Knowing that we didn't have the sunblock, I stayed in the shade for most of the afternoon. Then, the pool was in need of being cleaned and scooped, I hopped into the sun and did what was needed. When I finished swimming for the day, I got out and sat by the fire and was freezing even though the temperature was close to 86 outside. So after warming up by the fire and the sun went down, I decided to jump back in the pool. I was freezing again. When I dried off, my wife told me, man you got burnt today. My front, my back, shoulders, and neck were red.

Because I had experienced something like this the year or two before, and believe me, you remember "Hell's Itch", I acted fast to what I could best remember would work to cut down the transition from the burn to the insane itching that follows. I applied the green aloe vera and massaged it into my shoulders and back Saturday evening and Sunday morning. After church, I got home and reapplied the aloe and didn't go swimming. Then Monday came and I made it through work well enough thinking that I beat it this time and so I decided to go swimming around 5pm. When I got done, I dried off and that's when the insanity began!

After racing through trying to apply more aloe, that made it worse. Then I washed off the aloe and tried vinegar, which I had heard relieves it. Didn't work. Then I began to freak out, like most others will describe maddening behavior.

Then my wife, the white horse, my rescuer, did the unthinkable. She applied hydrocortizone on my back and then when the itch lessened, she came back in and dumped baby powder on my back. I mean she super-coated me with it. lol. Then when I got up and began walking around, the itching came back. Then the lilght bulb in my head went off. I told her to come back in the room and dump more baby powder on me. Quite comical I tell you, laying on my belly and her dumping and dumping baby powder on me.


But here's the thing. It actually worked! The itching went away as long as I didn't move. Then after reading countless blogs for more references to this kind of "Hellish Itch", I sent my mother in law over to the drug store to buy benedryl. I took mass quantities of benedryl and layed in bed unmoving on my left side and fell asleep. Woke up at 3am and took more benedryl. Took the next day off of work. Had more benedryl. Slept slept slept. Woke up Early Wednesday morning and back to a small general itch. No more Hell's Itch. I finally beat it!

I hope that I can help someone beat it too.

Things to remember:

*This maddening itch usually begins 2 days after you are sun burned!

*Immediately start massaging aloe vera on the effected area(s) the moment you realise you got burned.

*Avoid any contact with water (at least not with chlorinated water, maybe water in general) for a couple of days.

*As soon as the maddening itch begins, take the biggest dosage of Benedryl that you can. Apply Hydrocortizone to effected area. Massage it in. Feel the intensity go down slightly. Get dusted (overboard) with baby powder or talcom poweder. Don't move more than you need to. Get comfy because you are about to get very sleepy.

*When you wake up the next morning, take more benedryl, max dosage. Go back to sleep.

*By the time you wake up from your next long sleep, you should be in the clear. If not, take one more max dosage and nap one more time. Then you should be good.

***I just want to warn you that your stomach may be a wreck for a day or two because the benedryl plays hell on your stomach. Eat light to reduce bathroom trips. Hey, an upset stomach isn't nearly as bad as Hell's Itch, capiche?***
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Avatar universal
I am so glad I am not crazy.  To try and explain this to someone is really hard.  I was beside myself and crying for hours.   SO unbelievable!!!

Anyway, I tried this cream called Emla.  You can get it at most pharmacies but you have to ask for it.  The tube is really small and it costs $15-20 but when you are going crazy like I was, the price was non negotiable. Relief was all I was looking for.   I will stock up on the Atarax as well.  Thanks to all for making me feel better and know I am not crazy or a wimp!!  best wishes to all that end up here.  
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Avatar universal
As I'm writing this, I'm in the last hours of the Hell Itch. It was unbearable yesterday, but thanks to a quick application of Hydrocortisone and antihistamines, plus the scolding showers (thanks whoever suggested it, it provided much needed relief!), I'm almost over it. I've taken a sick day, being unable to wear clothes over my upper torso.

I've had it once before, where it presented itself in pus filled blisters exactly 48 hours after getting sunburnt, and I must say - I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy. The itching underneath the skin made me feel like some sort of addict going off of the heroin and even though I am in no way suicidal, the thought kicked in more than once just to feel the relief. But thanks to my fiance, I've stuck through, and I must say that this thread provided me with a much needed reassurance that everything would be alright. I've been rubbing the hydrocortison cream on my back several times, and popped a couple antihistamines, telfast I believe they're called here in Denmark, and now it's down to a bearable minimum. It pangs me once in a while with a sudden itch, but it subsides again in a second, so now I just have to stick it out for the last hours till it's hopefully gone by tomorrow.

I am never taking off my shirt again without at least a very thick sunscreen.. I'd rather be a pale Scandinavian, than to suffer through 2½ days of hell itch ever again.

If it ever happens again, I'll be armed with creams and pills, hopefully enough to kill it before it runs rampant.

Again, thanks to all commenters, it really made the past 24 hours bearable, to know that I wasn't alone with the itch, that so few doctors know about.

Best wishes from Denmark.

- Chris
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