incredibly itchy skin after shower/shaving- pls help!

[Teresainpain]

Hi:

I know itchy skin doesn't sound like a big problem, but my legs and arms itch like they were about to fall off everytime I take a shower.  I don't have dry skin and I use Aveeno body lotion everyday to make sure I get enough moisture.  The itching is like an intense tingling only on my arms and legs (mostly on my legs) and it's so bad that sometimes I just want to run yelling into the street.  The itching usually goes away within an hour after taking a shower, but it happens all of the time.  I hope that someone can give me some advice as to how to fix this problem...itching can drive a person crazy!

Thanks everyone.

[Tabekat]

OMG! i AM 36 AND HAVE BEEN ITCHING since I was a child. For years when I was little I thought it was my sitting in the tub and the unclean water and soap was making me itch. This did stop for a moment. Then when I got older and would try to work out or even speed walk my legs would itch like crazy. I itch most when I take HOT showers oh Lord- I thought I was going to die last night. I have visited many doctors and I think they think I am crazy. I now take Zyrtek once a day and it helps but I think nothing is ever going to prevent it.

[chuks711]

me too is over ten years with this itching after bath,let me go find soap with no sls and i will be back.

[Jed117]

Hi, Im jed an am 19 ... I've literally just got out the shower and have been been itching my legs and arms, for a brief momment the itching sensatiion disappears and then returns 10 times worse and I feel like im loosing my mind and want to rip my skin off -.- im doing al this while trying to browse for answers. I've seen some comments on body lotions etc so i raided my mams bathroom and applied to my arms and legs "VASELINE: COCA RADIANT" It seems to work but not for very long. Im certain that its not my shower because its brand new and my towels are clean. I wash at a warm temperature, use lynx Chocolate to wash in and Head and Shoulders for my hair. Can Anyone suggest anything to help prevent me going insane ...

[Matthewjklj]

I have the same problem, searching online for a medical cause/fix.  For me this happens during the spring if I take lots of hot showers over the winter and spend too much time in the hot shower.  Very short cool showers and moisturizing lotion for a month or so will get rid of it.  I was looking for something better but some of the people in these threads have been suffering for years so, not perfect but that's what I do.

[Heather313]

I am the same. I used to always get dry and dressed after my shower in front of a coil radiator heater, even in the summer. The radiant heat from this type of heater or from the sun eases the itch. Aslo the air will make the itching worse. I have to cover up with long sleeves, but for me, this is all part of the temperature change from the warm shower to the cooler air. My skin will just not tolerate a sudden change from warm to cooler. I agree with others, that it is really a prickly type of itch and is so intense that you really can't do anything until it subsides and even when I cover up quickly, this can still take 30 mins.

Heather.

[Heather313]

I have had the itchy skin after showering thing since a child. Although I have had periods of respite. It affects my legs mostly but also commonly my arms. Now I am 45 and it is worse than ever. It did take me well into adulthood to realise that the problem is not the water itself, but moving from a warm or hot environment to a cooler one. I don't take hot showere, btw, only warm. The problem can also occur if I get out of a warm bed and get up into a colder atmosphere.It used to happen when I was a little kid when I went to bed and I expect that I had probably had a bath not long before and then I would get into a bed that had cold, crisp linen sheets on a winter's night. I used to get it when I would walk to school with my bare legs on a cold morning. I have also found my skin will itch in airconditioning. For me, it is definately triggered by moving from warm to cooler.

Now that I have MS, it is even more irritating because my body reacts oddly to sensations and the itching itself will trigger what is called myoclonic jerking, and my legs and arms will just jerk involuntarily if I don't constantly alleviate the itching by scratching.

I do believe there is some kind of environmental allergen or invisible dermatitis which is worsened by the temperature change, but my only solution has been to cover up as quickly as possible after showering and avoid being cold for an extended period and just sit out the itching, but it is the MOST irritating and awful itching and I can totally relate; it drives you CRAZY!!!!
Heather313