Itching, or pruritus, may be confined to a specific area of the body or be systemic and affect large areas. It may be accompanied by bumps, redness or texture changes, or your skin may look and feel normal. Sometimes, itching is a sign of an underlying problem that requires treatment, but most cases of itching are due to allergies, dry skin, insect bites or viral infections.
Home Remedies
Taking short baths in lukewarm water and applying moisturizers to dry skin will soothe itching. Avoid exposure to allergens or irritants, such as rough fabrics, perfumes, soaps and chemicals, and apply ice against localized itching for relief. Using a humidifier inside your home can help restore your skin's moisture content and ease itching associated with dry skin. The National Institutes of Health also recommends keeping your fingernails short to avoid injuring your skin when scratching and adding oatmeal or cornstarch to your bathwater. Covering itchy areas with wet dressings will soothe itching and help the skin absorb topical medications more effectively, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Medications
Taking over-the-counter or prescription-strength antihistamines can relieve itching. These medications may cause significant drowsiness, however, which makes them less desirable during the daytime. Apply topical corticosteroid creams directly to localized itching, but avoid using these medications on very young children. Itching associated with allergies usually responds to allergy medications, such as oral corticosteroids, cromolyn sodium, or montelukast. Severe allergies that fail to respond to topical or oral medications may require treatment with immunotherapy, or allergy shots.
Treat Underlying Conditions
In some cases, itching is a sign of an underlying medical problem and will cease once the medical problem is treated. When the cause of itching is not obvious, doctors may base a diagnosis on other symptoms, blood test results, allergy skin testing, or skin scrapings and biopsy. Itching caused by medication, such as barbiturates or morphine, will stop when the offending drug is discontinued, according to Merck. Some medical conditions that cause itching include parasitic infections, allergies, kidney and liver disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, blood disorders and some cancers.
