Really itchy skin: what to know

Dry, cracked skin can cause Asteatotic Eczema, while Atopic Dermatitis often presents with itchy, inflamed patches. Contact Dermatitis may follow exposure to a product or material. Hives are raised, changing welts. Scabies can cause intense itch with small bumps, often in body folds and sometimes among close contacts. Psoriasis, Lichen Planus, and a Skin Yeast Infection have their own patterns that need examination.

Use short lukewarm showers, a gentle fragrance-free cleanser, and a thick moisturiser soon after bathing. Wear soft loose clothing and keep nails short. Note new medicines, products, foods, travel, pets, and whether anyone close to you is itchy. Avoid using steroid, antibiotic, or antifungal products repeatedly without advice because the wrong treatment can obscure the rash.

Arrange medical review when itching is widespread, persistent, worsening, or affecting sleep, or when a rash keeps returning. Seek prompt help for painful blisters, pus, fever, yellow crusting, facial swelling, or rapidly spreading redness. Breathing difficulty, faintness, or swelling of the lips or tongue requires emergency care.

What features identify the likely cause? Do I need a skin scraping, medication review, or other test? Which moisturiser and treatment should I use, and what should I avoid while the skin heals?