Diagnosis
Tracking down the cause of itching takes time and may involve physical examination and medical history questions. If your doctor thinks your itchy skin is caused by a medical condition, you may have some tests, including:
Blood test. A complete blood count can provide evidence of an internal disorder that causes itching, such as iron deficiency.
Thyroid, liver and kidney function tests. Liver or kidney disease and thyroid abnormalities (such as hyperthyroidism) may cause itching.
Chest X-ray. A chest x-ray can show if your lymph nodes are swollen, which may be accompanied by itchy skin.
Treatment
Itchy skin treatment focuses on finding the cause of itching and eradicating it. If home remedies don't relieve itchy skin, your doctor may recommend prescription medications or other treatments. Treatment options include:
Corticosteroid creams and ointments. If your skin is itchy and red, your doctor may recommend applying a medicated cream or ointment to the affected area. You can then cover the ointment-applied skin with a damp cotton material. Moisture helps the skin absorb the drug and has a cooling effect.
Other creams and ointments. Other drugs applied to the skin include calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus (brand name Protopic) and pimecrolimus (brand name Elidel). Or you may find relief from local anesthetics, capsaicin, and doxepin.
Oral drugs. Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine (brand name Proxa) and sertraline (brand name Zoloft), may help relieve some types of chronic itching.
Light therapy. Phototherapy involves exposing the skin to a specific type of light. You will usually be given multiple treatments until the itching is under control.
Clinical Trials
Explore Mayo Clinic research testing new treatments, interventions and tests designed to prevent, detect, treat or manage this disease.
Lifestyle & Home Remedies
Miao You Medical International One Minute: Moisturizing Tips from Dermatologists
To temporarily relieve itching, try the following self-care measures:
Avoid items or situations that cause you to itch. Identify as much as possible what is causing your symptoms and avoid contact with them. It could be heavy, rough clothing; a room that's too warm; too many hot showers, or contact with cleaning supplies.
Moisturize daily. Apply a hypoallergenic, fragrance-free moisturizing cream (Cetaphil, Eucerin, Zerox, or other product) to affected skin at least once a day.
Soothe and cool the skin with a cream, lotion or gel. Short-term use of over-the-counter corticosteroid creams can temporarily relieve skin redness, inflammation, and itching. Alternatively, try calamine lotion or a cream containing menthol or capsaicin, or a topical anesthetic such as pramocaine.
Try not to scratch. If scratching is uncontrollable, cover the itching area. Trim your nails and sleep with gloves on at night.
Take a bath or shower. Use lukewarm bath water and sprinkle some salt, baking soda, raw oatmeal, or colloidal oatmeal (finely ground oatmeal for soaking, including branded products like Aveeno). Some patients with chronic itching reported that a hot shower relieved their symptoms within hours. While others find cold showers useful. Whichever method you prefer, use a gentle cleanser without scrubbing too hard. Then rinse thoroughly, dry skin gently, and apply moisturizer.
Reduce pressure. Stress may make itching worse. Counseling, behavior modification therapy, acupuncture, meditation, and yoga are all ways to release stress.
Try over-the-counter allergy medicine. Some of these drugs can make you drowsy, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl). These medicines may help at night if itchy skin is preventing you from sleeping.
Use a humidifier. Humidifiers can also alleviate symptoms to some extent if home heating is drying out the indoor air.
Wear light clothing. This will help keep the skin fresh and reduce the itching sensation.
Prepare your appointment
You'll probably see your family doctor or primary care doctor first. In some cases, you may be referred to a dermatologist (dermatologist).
The following information can help you prepare for your visit and understand what your doctor might do.
what you can do
Write down your signs and symptoms, when they appeared, and how long they lasted. Also, list all the medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbal medicines, and over-the-counter medicines. Alternatively, keep the original bottle and list the dosage and doctor's order.
Write down questions to ask your doctor. For itchy skin, questions you may want to ask include:
- What could be the cause of my symptoms?
- Do I need a test to confirm the diagnosis?
- Are there other possible causes of my symptoms?
- Could my illness be a temporary problem or a long-term condition?
- What is the best treatment plan?
- I have other health problems. How can I manage these diseases at the same time?
- Besides the main method you suggested, what are the alternatives?
- Do I need a prescription drug? Or are over-the-counter medications available to treat this condition?
- How effective is the treatment?
- Can I wait and see if the disease goes away without treatment?
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
What a doctor might do
Your doctor may ask about your medical history before asking other questions, such as:
- When did you start having symptoms?
- How was your skin condition when symptoms first appeared?
- Have your symptoms changed?
- Are there any factors that seem to make your symptoms worse?
- Is there anything that seems to make your symptoms better?
- What home remedies have you tried?
- What prescription and over-the-counter medications are you currently taking?
- Have you traveled recently?
- Have you been swimming or playing in a lake or pond recently?
- How do you generally eat?
- Have you possibly been exposed to irritants, such as pets or certain metals, at home or at work?
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