Extremely itchy skin - just sensitive or cause for concern?

My skin itch all the time. There isn't a lotion or cream on the (south african) commercial market that I have not tried - you name it, it makes me itch even worse. There's no rash, but IF I allow myself to scratch (too much), something close to a bumpy rash appears, but always goes away in a while. For some reason only my legs itch, no other parts of my body.

Extremely itchy skin - just sensitive or cause for concern?
90% of the time, itchy skin is merely a sensitivity to something in your environment--it's the other 10% that you'll need to be concerned about. Itchy skin can be a symptom of certain cancers, such as Hodgkin's Disease Lymphoma. I ask you, are there other symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, night sweats (drenching amounts of sweat that only occur while sleeping), or fatigue? Even if there isn't, I'd still recommend seeing a doctor, who can use some simple blood tests to determine whether it's worth further examining.





You may also be experiencing allergies to something such as detergents (I doubt this one, or you'd be itching everywhere clothing touches you), dust, soaps, shaving creams or gels, or even certain foods. Think back to when this all started, and see if you can remember any changes you made out of the ordinary. You may also try changing your razor if you shave your legs; sometimes the blades of mass-produced razor heads aren't in exact allignment, and the tiny little scrapes that they produce--even if you didn't feel them when they happened--can become irritated and make your skin itch. In fact, the little bumpy rashes you described fit nicely with this possibly being the problem.





For relief in the meantime, you can try taking Benadryl tablets along with using Hydrocortisone creams. You're right to be aware of how much you're scratching, since it's easy to make a bad situation even worse by creating little open wounds with your fingernails.





Whatever you do, please go to a doctor first and work this issue from worse-case scenero first before switching over this and that, these and those.





Good luck to you!
Reply:It's sounds like you have very dry skin. You need to go to a Dermatologist before it gets worse.

lady slipper