It is generally believed that when a person is overwrought with emotion, his or her body undergoes certain changes involving the hormones and as every action has to have some corresponding reaction, the excess of emotion felt by the person, manifests itself in the form of rashes on the body, that lead to itching. That is how probably when a person is overtly curious to know about something, he is actually itching to know! Over a period, the word has acquired such a strong connotation that when you utter the word "itch", you feel like scratching some part of your anatomy. Nothing can be more relieving than scratching an itchy area of your body and the satisfaction derived from it is worth millions of dollars! Comrades in arms strictly follow this maxim "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours", thus returning a favor for favor!
Coming to the point, there is no one particular cause for itching. Dry skin is the most common cause of itching, and when your skin cracks, the skin gets a rash as much from your itching as anything else. Preventing dry skin may help reduce itching even if the dry skin is not the primary cause of the itching. But one person's serious cause for itching may be totally harmless on another person. Sometimes, it is guided by the psychology of the person too. Sometimes itching is caused by allergy to certain specific chemicals or food items or due to some insect bites. These chemicals lead to small reddish rashes on the whole body that cause severe itching. There are some people who perspire profusely, leading to small eruptions throughout the body, due to long exposure to sun, which cause intense itching and redness. Let us assume a person is accustomed to a costly soap for a number of years and suddenly applies a cheap soap on his body. Since his body is used to better chemicals, it protests against the chemicals in the cheap soap, in the form of rashes and itching. Scant regard for hygiene and not changing into fresh and clean undergarments on a daily basis, may also lead to itching in the private areas as also wearing poorly-washed clothes, can aggravate the situation.
These are just external factors which cause itching. Indifference towards eating habits can also lead to itching and unattractive skin. Not drinking sufficient quantity of water and keeping our skin and blood well-hydrated may lead to sensitive skin, resulting in dry and itchy areas. Gorging on junk foods instead of eating a diet comprising healthy nutrients like fresh vegetables and fruits, may lead to imbalance in the digestive system causing allergic reactions like itching. Normally, by looking at a person's we can make out if he or she has been leading a clean and healthy life.
Itching to get better
A rash that itches, while annoying, is usually not serious and home remedies will generally relieve the itching.
To monitor the severity of your itch, rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being minor itching and 10 being severe itching. Keep a record, so that if you require medical attention, you can let your doctor know the patterns of the itch over time.
Remember, repeated scratching will lead to a darkening of the skin, and can even harm the skin, allowing an infection to develop. So try to avoid scratching and keep your fingernails short and clean to prevent infections.
While most skin infections occur after an injury to the skin, minor scratches may go unnoticed and become infected. Rashes, however, break down the skin barrier and the skin becomes more susceptible to infection, so bad skin infection can develop from an existing rash. Signs of infection include: increased pain, swelling, redness, pussy sores, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin, and fever or chills.
It's important to prevent a skin infection from spreading to surrounding skin tissue. Obviously, see your doctor if your situation worsens.
