Itchy skin that turns into bumps when scratched

Question

Sometimes lately I've had areas of my skin that itch.  Initially I don't notice any signs of any rash or anything, but after I scratch the area small bumps form sort of in clusters.  After I leave them alone for a few minutes they tend to disappear. They look sort of like insect bites or scabies when they become raised, but I don't believe that this is what they are.  Currently this is happening on the back of my left hand and a couple of days ago on my wrist.  What are possible causes?

Gemmaahh · Answer

Does anyone know about Rosacea? I believe I have exactly the same skin problems as you - on my face. I itch my face and almost instantly get small clusters of bite-like bumps. I have been diagnosed with Rosacea which is similar to adult acne but different! Its a chronic condition affecting mainly northern Europeans with fair hair and fair skin, but can essentially affect anyone. You may have had problems with looking red cheeked or flushed quite a lot in the past? It affects 1 in 10 of us but is not known in depth through the medical profession it seems.  This has only been brought to my attention as I have had a flare up wherein my entire face has come up in bumps and is itchy, but not necessarily red. Tends to cluster on my cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. I wanted to make people aware of this as I have also been told in the past I have minor acne, dermatitis, types of hives, heat rash etc... Hope this helps!

joeminutes · Answer

Use hydrocortisone 1%. Can get it in drugstores. Started taqking it yesterday and it's almost gone. Started out as a skin colored bump on wrist. Scratched it and it turned into about a hundred red bumps. So itchy I wanted to chop my arm off. By tomorrow it will be gone.

xpet · Answer

Dermatographia look it up sounds like you guys have it. It's common

Donnydollars · Answer

This is exactly what am facing right now please I need help I can't control this

videaliah · Answer

I'm only eleven and I have been itching my legs and arms all over and putting water on the scratches but the bumps appear no matter what

Maineng_vang123 · Answer

I'm young and is having red dots that is Itchy I tend not to touch it but it gets itchy so I'm using neosporin to see if it helps I guess it helps the itchying stop some of my spots tend to hurt itch or even burn

Dr_joejoe · Answer

Eczema. An umbrella term that covers any unexplainable rash and itchiness. Doctors use this term all the time as if it's an official diagnosis. Basically what it means is your skin is very sensitive to pretty much everything. Too dry, too wet, chemicals in cleaners can trigger it, and hot weather among other things. Allergies and smoking have been linked to it as well. As much as it itches just try not to scratch and problem solved.  Cortizone works best to relieve the itch and prevents you from scratching up a rash but other than that you're  stuck  with it for life.  Benadryl works pretty good too but makes me sleepy.

HoldOnTheSaucer · Answer

I am 29, from Oxford, in the UK, and I only started getting this problem a few months ago.
Not a lot of factors have changed in my life during and shortly before the condition arose it's rather ugly and embarracing head! So I am completely at a loss, and as I saw one person above say.... the doctors are just way too quick to throw some pills at us(which WE pay for, and from which they make commissions from the big-pharma's), without really giving me enough answers, regardless of how much I try and inquire.
Anyway, I went through the all of the possibilities, like Scabies, Bed Bugs, Eczema, but the doctor made one long scratch down the inside of my forearm with his fingernail, and was instantly 100 percent certain that it was something which I cannot remember the name of or find on the internet.
I smoke roll-ups(regularly changing type and brand of tobacco) and Cannabis(again.. varying types!), and I drink alcohol(Guinness, Wine, Cider, Port, Ale, Lager, Rum), you get the picture :P but... nomatter what I reduce or cut out completely in an effort to conduct a fair test of only changing one thing at a time, nothing makes a difference.
Now...... a few things that have given me relief, other than anti-hystamine tablets are :-:-:

~ Not washing my hands too often(dryness).
~ Moisturising my hands regularly, ~Avoiding near or over best-before dates on food and not eating left-over/old food in the fridge. We all have old food lying around at some time or another, but one thing my doctor WAS able to offer up is that this condition we all seem to be suffering from is caused prodominantly by an over-active hystamine system(for want of a beter way of putting it), which is caused mainly by irritation and outside sources like spores, mould, bacteria(but please don't quote me on that, as he may well have been trying to get rid of me hahahaha). 

Following on from those with a slightly strange tangent, as I'm aware that the problem is NOT anything to do with bugs, and I'm not going to say that these next couple of things actually help as such, but..... I know that it makes my life more bareable and less stressful when I keep all fabrics(clothing, bedding, furniture coverings etc.) as clean as possible, I personally wash all fabrics on the highest temp' possible without shrinkage/colour-runnage(I think I just invented a new word variant! YAY), and I don't actually use any liquid or powder detergent anymore, YEP you heard me correctly, and yet my clothes are lovely and REAL smelling, and still clean as clouds!! For me, I find this peace of mind really really helpfull when reaching for a towel or t-shirt, or climbing into bed. Especially as I have found that stress does not help this condition!
I really hope something I've said might help, and as I mentioned before I dont know the accuracy of what my doctor said or the stuff that I have found is, but God knows I wish I had known of a few of these things when I first started suffering :)
Good luck all X

DevTho55 · Answer

I had this problem last year, don't k o if I got it when exposed to a moldy building but thinking that's what it was.... Every time I would scratch I would get these hives/ bumps, I took all kinds of Claritin allergy pills, my body just got use to them... I tried cold water, that helped at first, then I started spraying rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle on area and they would always stop itching... And would come back less and less until they just stopped coming and it worked, don't k o what it was

AnnieMcGuinn · Answer

Hey I just got this problem yesterday and I'm 20 years old. The itching is unbearable and when the rash goes away the area the rash was starts to ache really really bad. My hands are in so much pain probably because its what I itch the most. Halfway through the comments I read that this disease is called Dermatographia, so i looked it up. It's also know as skin writing and a rash appears when you itch an area. It is also a life long disease and there is no cure, only treatments. To know that I'll have this for the rest of my life really really *****. Hopefully I'll find a treatment that works so I'm not as itchy, but this is pretty awful.

Cronegirl · Answer

I have this same problem. I have been itching since November and it mostly starts at night and when I get out of the shower. There is no discoloration but it looks like little fine small bumps. Every time my body begin to tingle in a certain area all of a sudden little fine bumps appear. its uncontrollable at times. Small irritable bumps even appear by my chin and then disappear. I am so afraid to know what it is but I am also concerned because the itching at night is stressing me out.

Jajzmama571 · Answer

I have the same thing. Mine aren't as large but they are extremely itchy and warm. They first started in my ankle about 5 of them that would come and go but would itchy so badly they'd keep me awake at night because they'd make my whole leg twitch. I just had another breakout with those less than two weeks ago and they are starting to fade a little but the appearance never fully goes away. Now yesterday, I'm just standing in the bathroom and I have three more pop up on my hand and 2 in my upper left thigh. They start out smaller and as just a red spot but then once I itch them they grow larger and the itch is so intense!! Once larger the center is white and somewhat raised, red outer ring and the center feels like it has a little dot on the top like it was pressed out from the inside. Someone please help I don't know what is going on and I'm the only one getting them in a house with 3 kids, myself and my bf whom I've shared the same bed & blankets with for years, no one else is getting. We don't have any pets either and I've checked for bed bugs and stuff, washed all blankets in hot and dried on high heat and even vacuumed the entire bed. I just don't see how these could be bites like many drs tell us because I'm the only one getting them in a house of 5, and I share the same bed and blankets with my bf who sleeps naked and never gets anything! I just wish doctors here in the US would take a little more time to try and figure things out and not be so quick to just prescribe something and send me off! I had a cbc blood test done and nothing was abnormal but I was put in an antibiotic "just in case" lol. Such crap!!  The itch is unbearable and I have to wear a glove on my one hand so I don't dig and itch as much but it's just awful and I wish someone could figure out what it is exactly!

nanayaw · Answer

its started a small rush on my leg and i started to scratch it and its spread all the way to my thighs. after every scratch its turns reddish and swells 
can any one help me with medication its makes me feel very bad.

wbibeau · Answer

Had a knee replaced same problem   nurse suggested Zurtec  works great not a cure but only once a week

1RMC · Answer

I have the same problem. and i have this for like two  months  but i don't really scratch it because as you all know it gets very addictive and irritating the and the more you scratch the worst it gets, and you can damage your skin. My itching can start on any part of my body. And i get very desperate... but as you know if you live it alone it eventually goes away... i love to sleep naked now and can't because when i sleep naked and i notice that i would  wake up in the middle of the night scratching my self uncontrollably... so now i don't do it anymore... i also tried hydrogen peroxide where the itching starts and it seems to relax  a little.  If anyone finds what's what's causing it please don't forget that we are suffering too and tell us what you had or what you did to cure it... if you can't control you itching tried play some video games or just distract your  mind from it.

1RMC · Answer

I have the same problem. and i have this for like two  months  but i don't really scratch it because as you all know it gets very addictive and irritating the and the more you scratch the worst it gets, and you can damage your skin. My itching can start on any part of my body. And i get very desperate... but as you know if you live it alone it eventually goes away... i love to sleep naked now and can't because when i sleep naked and i notice that i would  wake up in the middle of the night scratching my self uncontrollably... so now i don't do it anymore... i also tried hydrogen peroxide where the itching starts and it seems to relax  a little.  If anyone finds what's what's causing it please don't forget that we are suffering too and tell us what you had or what you did to cure it... if you can't control you itching tried play some video games or just distract your  mind from it. I'm

iceberg79 · Answer

I have started having itchy skin 3 weeks ago. I never had this problem before. it all started one day when I first felt tingling in the right corner of my lower lip which later took over the entire lower lip. This did not last long but the same day I started having itchiness all over my body. after scratching it I start getting raised red spots in the areas where I scratched. it itches all and is very irritating. if I don't touch it it calms down and the rash disappears. can someone please help me to identify what it is and how can I get rid of it?

mandymw86 · Answer

I feel like our problems are exactly the same. I on the other hand do not take advair. I get itchy anywhere and everywhere with these pesky itchy bumps and I agree 100%, it's so itchy I sometimes bruise myself. =/ I haven't had any luck yet figuring this out, but I wanted to let you know I didn't take advair so I'm thinking it could be for other reasons, but then again I'm no doctor. I think maybe it's time we all go see one though lol.

dparent · Answer

I would love to get to the bottom of what I have as well.  My symptoms are similar to Apititoe and perhaps melbor and aybuddy..... whenever I lean on some random thing and it makes an indent on my skin that will suddenly itch and swell up...sometimes i just scratch my skin and the scratch swells up and then hives start to appear.  once i stop scratching it all goes away in a few minutes.   the itching is at times unbearable and will power really doesn't work....i scratch the area for a minute or so and then it just stops itching and then after a few minutes there is nothing on my skin.....so i have learned to enjoy the scratching until it doesnt itch anymore and then it all goes away. :)   I admit it is weird to lean on something and start to break out in HUGE hives....and I am really curious about what it is and perhaps how i can deal with it.  Do any of you take Advair?  that is the only daily med i take and perhaps it is a reaction to that?  thanks to you all for making me feel like i am not a freak!  (well at least not bc of the hives)  Hahaha have a nice day and be well!

Apatitoe · Answer

Hello everyone. I also have this disease or what ever it is. Every time when i scratch a part of my back,after 4-5 mins then after 4-5 mins it disappears. It bumps and its color is more likely red,i asked my mom,"Mom,do you know where did i get this kind of Skin Allergy or something? , Mom said. You know, since you were born you have this and your Great Grand Father's Brother has also have this Skin Disease. Maybe,you get that from him... Then,i keep searching and browsing the Net for the Solution for this Disease. Can someone please,T_T tell me to what to do,i play basketball,well you know how basketball works,sometimes others accidentally scratches you,so sometimes,i hide my part of a skin with that bumped and redish...Until now i have this... SO,CAN ANYONE PLEASE,TELL ME WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO CURE THIS DISEASE. And THANK YOU FOR READING THIS MESSAGE,I'll keep an eye on this website to check for your comments.. thanks..

viper21 · Answer

This condition is called Aquagenic urticaria. This is sort of the mildest form of hives (I'm not certain, please check on wiki) but is caused when skin is exposed to water.

Melbor · Answer

My husband has this same problem on his bottom. It itches terribly and when he scratches these little bumps are raised, often in small clusters of 3 or 4 bumps. They go down quickly. Some are older and it looks like dry skin; other areas are dark red and thick feeling. From what we can tell it's not from hives or scabies. The description sounds just like aybuddy's. Do you have any other suggestions as to what this could be?

BKaurMD · Answer

Hello,
It looks like hives to me. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.
You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps. If the symptoms persist then steroids may be needed. You have to consult a dermatologist in that case. 

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing