I tried that once, years ago. The thing is, the itch isn't on the surface as such. It's deeper under the skin. The top layer already feels slightly numb. That's what makes the scratching so damaging. I can't just lightly scratch the skin and deal with the itch that way. All that does is make it worse. Sometimes I can't even feel it unless I really scratch hard. But it's only the surface that's numb. Underneath that it's sore and itchy. If that makes any kind of sense lol.


One of the problems with eczema remedies is that they tend to take an anaesthetic approach: lightly anaesthetise the skin surface. The trouble is, that itching is not actually related to pain, as was once believed. It involves different receptors in the brain. It is entirely possible to numb an area as far as pain is concerned but still feel the itch. All numbing it does is disable your ability to touch/scratch the itch.

One of the most horrible things I have experienced is having had anaesthetic for dental work and my lips left completely numb, but itching like hell. Can't even feel my fingers touching the area, but the itch was there. Untouchable.

I'm glad you did. The way you describe it sounds awful, but putting a real image to it helps make it clear what you're really going through. I'm also glad your face had the decency to avoid the party, for your sake.

yeah, it does. Some times I get contact dermatitis from various stuff, especially if I am in the midst of a full blown hayfever festival then I am hyper sensitive to lots of things. One way I've found to satisfy the itching craving on my forearms w/o itching is to fill a basin with the hottest water I can stand and stick my arms into it. The sensation of scratching is similar. In fact I read somewhere recently that the same pain receptors are involved, the difference being that the response to heat is to pull away and to itching it is to move towards. Anyway, that can feel really satisfying. Not sure how the heat and water would affect the dry skin. I'm sorry you're going through this, wish I could help.

I knew a gal who got poison ivy on her brain and the only way she could scratch herself was to think about sandpaper.

F3 that would set mine right off.

From wikipedia:
In England, an estimated 5,773,700 or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.[4]

What's up with that?

Yes, Danan, the plastic does increase the itch and the sweat from that, but the result is worth it. I find a night like that with dermovate on makes visible progress overnight. But I have to grit my teeth to do it, especially as it also prolongs the sting of when you put the cream on (you may not get that). Sometimes I use ice packs to reduce the itch. I use Clarytin for the itch too, but no sedative.

So you are a luke warm shower kind of guy?

me too! ice is good, but the water in itself is drying

Poison ivy on the brain??? How the fuck is that even possible?

Actually, I seem to recall you mentioning it before. I must have blocked it from my memory. That's like all my worst nightmares wrapped woth a feckin bow lol.

I musthave misread the report about pain receptors, but that kind of makes sense. The hot water. Oh yeah that helps. In fact I can't bear the sensation of water on my skin unless it is mad hot. I do that sometimres when my hands are really itchy. I'll be washing my hands or rinsing a cup out at the sink and I'll hold my hands under the hot tap (faucet) til it almost feels like a scald. Not terribly sensible in the long run, as it probably makes it worse overall. But for that moment of relief? Hell yeah. :p

Cold and quick or [I'm not racist]Mexican[/racist am I]

Seems about right to me. I read once that around 1 in 10 adults suffer from eczema. But apparently it's on the increase. Chronic eczema is less common though.

I went to school with a girl with chronic asthma and eczema.
She had skin like a crocodile. That's an awful thing to say, but it's how I saw it. And that was her normal state, not a flare-up, I guess from what her skin had been through in the past.

The girls in our year were kept behind for a special assembly because girls did not want to partner her in Games, in case they caught something when they touched.
It made me feel awful, even though I had never reacted that way to her. Our only real contact at that point was when we tried out for netball and she made the team (I didn't).

Fast forward four years and we were being handed our GCSE Drama practicals.
All I could think was "Please don't let me be paired/ be on the same team as her!"
Nothing to do with her skin, and she was quite a cool chick in many ways. But she was a lousy actress.

Sorry it's so very bad.
I think my worst experience ever was when I had hives from a still unspecified food allergy. The palms of my hands were the worst. One week of it drove me batshit, and that comes nowhere near close to what you live with.

the only way to scratch it was to think about sandpaper...

think, Dana, think

Dana, you poor thing. The only skin affliction I suffer from is hypersensitivity to mosquito bites and mine are looking exceedingly manageable compared to what you're going through. Hope that the dermatologist on Monday can give you something that works and alleviates it.

Wolf, that really sucks. I'm with Griff on you writing your memoirs now.

sorry, wolf

sorry dana

damn