How to stop the itching (and get rid of the scars)
I've had itchy legs for a couple years...I have no idea why. I thought perhaps it was seasonal at first, but my legs itch all the same throughout the year. I thought perhaps it was the rock salt in my mom's tap water...but why would it just all of a sudden negatively affect my skin when I'd been using it for years?
I don't really care what it is - the point is it's very irritating. I scratch my legs so hard that they start to bleed, and I now have these ugly, blotchy scars all over my legs from all the itching. This only affects my lower legs, for some unknown reason.
I've tried numerous dry skin lotions, all in vain. I've tried ignoring the urge, but usually I can't because the itch is so great. I seriously doubt this is an allergy. Aside from the methods I have already tried, does anyone have any suggestions on how to alleviate itchy skin? How about ways to reduce or eliminate scarring? A friend of mine once told me that taking a half of an aspirin tablet every day will help minimize or altogether remove scars over a period of weeks/months - is this true?
Re: How to stop the itching (and get rid of the scars)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Stranger
I've had itchy legs for a couple years...I have no idea why. I thought perhaps it was seasonal at first, but my legs itch all the same throughout the year. I thought perhaps it was the rock salt in my mom's tap water...but why would it just all of a sudden negatively affect my skin when I'd been using it for years?
I don't really care what it is - the point is it's very irritating. I scratch my legs so hard that they start to bleed, and I now have these ugly, blotchy scars all over my legs from all the itching. This only affects my lower legs, for some unknown reason.
I've tried numerous dry skin lotions, all in vain. I've tried ignoring the urge, but usually I can't because the itch is so great. I seriously doubt this is an allergy. Aside from the methods I have already tried, does anyone have any suggestions on how to alleviate itchy skin? How about ways to reduce or eliminate scarring? A friend of mine once told me that taking a half of an aspirin tablet every day will help minimize or altogether remove scars over a period of weeks/months - is this true?
Hello,
I have suffered with itchy legs for most of my life, well really from my teens on. It is mostly just my lower legs as well. They itch me insatiably and I too scratch until they bleed. I avoid showing my legs because I have scars my shins and calves. I have been to the dermatologist several times regarding this and they just tell me to put vaseline on them. I think it is eczema or psoriasis. Nothing will make it go away and I suspect because it has not been properly diagnosed and treated. i suffer with this itching and I am sick of it.
Re: How to stop the itching (and get rid of the scars)
Wow, I just joined this board to respond to your itching legs posts. I could have written your posts. I've had severly itching legs for 17 years, since the age of approx. 20. There's no sign of rash, etc. Mostly lower legs but sometimes higher on the leg. I've kept diaries of diet, mood, weather, season and can't see a pattern. I've been to every type of Dr. I can think of over the years for this. (Allergists, dermatologists, homeopaths, gynecologists, accupunturists, etc.)
While I haven't solved my problem, I feel there may be something to having a liver function test for bile salt levels. I had read something an Australian dermatologist wrote in 2004. He described itching with no skin changes (except those brought about by scratching.) He said it could be a build up of bile salts which are incompletely cleared by the liver and accumulate in the serum of the blood. He suggests getting liver function tests and a bile salt level. I personally went and had my bile salt level tested by a gastroenterologist years ago. My bile salt levels came back flagged abnormally high! (3-4 times if I remember right) He was amazed since that's the obscure test I had asked for. BUT, he said they weren't high enough for me to be itching. He tried to get me to see a dermatologist again. I may follow up with the liver function test someday. I give up from time to time and then go back and keep trying. Tying in with this topic, that australian dr. said it can be from a body's reaction to estrogen levels. My mom had the itching problem only when pregnant. (Higher estrogen with pregnancy.) So my gynecologist ran some blood tests to examine this for me--he said it'd be a test used for lupus screening also. I came back fine. So no mystery solved yet.
I don't have scars, but constant scabs and skin discoloration from getting sun around the scabs. I don't know what works best for itching, but use a Benadryl cream, advil, Benadryl pills from time to time.
Just curious, are there any other quirky health conditions you have that maybe we have in common? I have a pseudocholinesterase deficiency which is rare and just prevents me from being able to break down certain anesthesia.
Good luck to you.
Last edited by MissEmmaPeel; 09-21-2007 at 07:28 PM.
Reason: typos
