Five Common Causes of Itching
Itching is something we’ve all experienced and it’s satisfying to scratch that itchy part of your skin. It can be on a small part of your skin, on scattered all around, or all over your body. It’s inconvenient and could pose as a symptom of something else.
Here are five common causes of itching (in no particular order):
1. Insect Bites – Insect bites are categorized by red, bumps on your skin. Itching is a common symptom associated with these, however not all insect bites look the same. Mosquito bites look different from flea and ant bites. Make sure to cover up when outside and use bug spray to keep them off your skin.
2. Coming in contact with allergic substances – It could be flora, certain fabrics or even food or medicine. Sometimes it varies depending on the person but some common causes include latex, certain plants, fur and dander, dust, some foods or certain common over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen. Other symptoms include redness or swelling. If the symptoms are more serious like blisters, ulcers or difficulty breathing, then call emergency services immediately.
3. Dry Skin – Its symptoms include scaling and cracking of the skin besides itching. Dry skin can be uncomfortable and can be caused by many things, including certain skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis, dehydration, or sunburn. To alleviate dryness, apply moisturizers regularly avoid rough fabrics to avoid extra friction onto your skin.
4. Fungal Infections – Fungal infections like athletes foot, jock itch and ringworm all have itchy skin as one of their symptoms besides scaling, redness and rashes. They are all caused by getting in contact with the fungus through exposed skin. These are all commonly treated by using anti-fungal creams and sprays
5. Common Skin Disorders – Eczema, Psoriasis, Acne are common skin conditions that have itchiness as a symptom alongside redness. However, each of them have different causes and treatments and must be handled differently. Contact your dermatologist for complete diagnosis and treatment of whatever skin disorder you may have.
