for the past 2 weeks or so, my skin has felt very itchy. it is primarily on my upper body (chest, neck, back). i've never really been one to apply lotion on a daily basis. my skin doesn't appear noticeably dry or flaky. last night, i noticed a very mild rash (for the first time), but it is not there this morning. I have not switched laundry detergents. i used a new body wash for a couple of days last week, but stopped. it was a "natural" body wash. i can't think of anything else that has changed in the past couple of weeks. i'm just trying to figure out why my skin is so itchy. any ideas? or treatment ideas?
"i've never really been one to apply lotion on a daily basis" Really? Start-I began using the Vaseline lotion in the brown bottle-the one that contains shea butte, cocoa butter, vitamin E, etcr-I have used it everyday since August-it has changed my skin completely-try it!
When my skin first got itchy with rashes that would come and go, it made no sense to me. I began keeping a food diary and it still made no sense to me.
One reason is that itchy rashes from foods - the IgG allergic reactions can occur hours to days after eating.
The second reason was that I was not even thinking about a cough medicine I was using ... it turned out I was allergic to the saccharin in it! I even ended up in the ER from one dose of saccharin in another liquid medication, after the hives turned worse, and every joint in my body swelled. I'd never heard of such a thing as allergic arthritis!
Then, I became allergic to aspartame, and then multiple foods... But underneath that all, it turned out I had probably been getting increasingly sensitive to other major foods as well - such as gluten and dairy.
I have eczema so dry itchy skin is something I deal with on a daily basis... I constantly am applying lotion (dove) or (olay). When my skin gets really dry I cake on aquafor (similar to vaseline but much better and alot more expensive) anyway... my best guess in your situation...changes in the weather can cause your skin to get dry and itchy.. i know for me it gets even worse than normal. I would just keep your skin moisturized with some lotion...any lotion if your skin is not usually sensitive. Also, try dove soap bar or body wash... I have been using dove for as long as a i can remember. i cant use anything else unless i want my eczema to flare up and walk around itching all day. hope this helps!
Could it be a new shirt or sweater? New sheets or bedding? I have one sweater in particular that contains a bit of wool and I itch all day when i wear it, even over a shirt.
Has it been warmer where you are? Maybe from the heat?
Only other thing I can think of -- Early in my pregnancy I was so itchy all over, esp. on my upper body. I think it was hormonal or just higher sensitivity to stuff in shampoo, soap, etc. I started using "free" detergent, just Ivory soap, and that helped.
Good luck!
It sounds like you are reacting to something, rather than just having dry skin. However, a lotion like Aveeno Skin Relief might take care of the dry and itchy problems for you.
Beware "natural" body wash or products. You can be allergic to any number of natural ingredients.
Our bodies change over time. It's possible to develop new allergies, especially when our body chemistry changes with the birth of a child or menopause. So you may have to play detective to figure out if your skin is itchy because of a new product or because you have become sensitive to an old product that was formerly safe.
I've found that as I've gotten older, my skin has gotten drier, in general. You could try putting baby oil on your skin after a shower, before you dry off. Just be careful to wipe up any that may spill on the floor of your shower - it will be super slippery. Otherwise, since I've gotten in the habit of applying lotion either right after the shower or before bed, it's much better.
