PROVEN Team
PROVEN Team includes Stanford scientists and dermatologists who combine their expertise with cutting-edge technology to bring you the best for your skin.
Itchy Skin: A Science Backed Approach
Dry and itchy skin? Science may have a solution. Read on to learn all about itchy skin
Resource by: PROVEN Team
In this section
How To Relieve Itchy Skin
There’s truly nothing worse than dealing with itchy skin that’s impossible to relieve. But relieving itchy skin doesn’t have to be impossible so long as you understand the underlying cause of the issue. From there, you can try a variety of home remedies known to provide relief. If the issue persists, there are also medical treatments to consider for itchy skin. That being said, preventing and relieving itchy skin begins and ends with your daily skincare routine.
What Causes Itchy Skin?
It can be difficult to nail down the cause of your itchy skin. However, with the right information and persistence, you can figure out what’s causing your itchy skin before moving on to finding the right treatment.
Here are some potential causes of itchy skin:
Your itchy skin could be caused by something as simple as dryness. Some people simply have a dry skin type where their skin doesn’t produce enough oil to keep itself hydrated. As a result, your skin could become more irritated and itchy than normal or oily skin types.
There’s nothing worse than dealing with itchiness from a bug bite. Sometimes the bite isn’t totally obvious at first and a welt can take some time to develop on the skin. This is especially true if you’re dealing with hidden pests like bed bugs or fleas that may even bite you while you’re sleeping.
Your itchy skin could be caused by an actual skin condition. There are many different possibilities to consider here, including:
Atopic dermatitis: Also known as eczema, this skin condition causes dry, scaly, and itchy patches on the skin. These patches may have a red or brownish appearance in areas like the hands, feet, ankles, wrists, and neck. This condition commonly develops during childhood and can come and go with time.
Contact dermatitis: This skin condition causes a red and itchy rash as a result of contact with an irritating substance. Contact dermatitis is essentially an allergic reaction to an irritating substance that may include things like soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry, and plants.
Psoriasis: This skin condition causes the skin cells to multiply up to 10 times faster than normal, leading to the development of bumpy red patches with white scales on the skin. Psoriasis is especially common on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back.
Chickenpox: This contagious infection causes an itchy rash that may also develop small blisters that are filled with fluid. This rash quickly spreads all over the body and is very contagious. It commonly affects children, although there is now a vaccine that can prevent a vast majority of cases.
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease: This contagious infection causes an itchy rash on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Other symptoms include fever, flu-like symptoms, and mouth sores. This disease commonly affects children, and although it is not serious, it is very contagious and can spread quickly throughout day care centers and schools.
While the most common culprit of itchy skin is a skin condition, itchy skin could also be caused by a disease totally unrelated to the skin. For example, itchy skin could be a sign of liver disease, kidney disease, anemia, diabetes, thyroid issues, or lymphoma.
If you are experiencing a new bout of itchy skin that coincides with taking a new medication, this may actually be a side effect. Specifically, medications such as aspirin, opioids, and blood-pressure drugs can cause itchy skin.
Itchy skin could have a psychological cause in the form of conditions such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or depression.
Finally, itchy skin could be a sign of nerve disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS), pinched nerves, or shingles.
What Symptoms Occur With Itchy Skin?
Itchy skin often occurs alongside other symptoms. For example, itchy skin commonly appears with symptoms such as:
- Redness
- Cracked skin
- Dry skin
- Bumpy skin
- Blisters
- Scaly skin
While itchy skin usually isn’t something to be overly concerned about, there are some situations where you should seek medical advice from a doctor about your symptoms:
You should consult a doctor about your skin issues if they last for more than two weeks without improvement.
You should consult with a doctor if your skin issues are severe enough to distract you during your work day or prevent you from sleeping at night.
You should consult with a doctor if your itchy skin is affecting your entire body with no explanation.
You should consult with a doctor if your itchy skin appears alongside other symptoms that could be related to an underlying illness that requires professional medical treatment.
Treatments for Itchy Skin
Itchy skin can be a frustrating and maddening condition to deal with -- especially if you don’t understand the root cause. However, once you do figure out the cause, you can move on to remediating the situation. In most cases, itchy skin can be relieved through home remedies and a soothing skincare routine.
Once you understand the cause of your itchy skin, you can move on to treatments. Here are some medical treatments that can help relieve itchy skin:
Corticosteroid cream: One of the best forms of relief for itchy skin is to apply a corticosteroid cream. These creams have soothing properties that can improve itchiness. These creams are available over-the-counter.
Topical calcineurin inhibitors: These topical treatments have calming properties that can also alter the immune system to effectively treat immune-related skin conditions like eczema.
Topical anesthetics: These topical treatments can be used to numb the skin and relieve itchiness. While this may not treat the underlying cause of the itchiness, it can help diminish uncomfortable symptoms.
Light therapy: Also known as phototherapy, this approach involves exposing the skin to ultraviolet light to reduce inflammation and promote healing. This therapy may help improve skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Phototherapy may require multiple sessions to see results.
While medical treatments can help relieve your itchy skin, there are also home remedies that you can try on your own. Many of these treatments are simple and easy to do:
If your itchiness is being caused by irritants, identify your triggers and avoid them to prevent reactions from occurring in the first place.
If your itchiness is being caused by dry skin, try using a humidifier within your home to add moisture to the air and hydrate your skin.
Taking a soothing bath can often help with itchiness. Run a bath with lukewarm water and add in soothing extras such as Epsom salts, baking soda, or oatmeal. Be sure to avoid hot water temperatures and rough towels during your bathing routine to prevent itchiness.
Applying cool compresses may help with itchiness. You can either apply a cold washcloth or an actual ice pack to the itchy area to help stop the pain and discomfort.
Manage your stress levels to help stem itching. Stress and anxiety can worsen itching, so try stress management techniques like aromatherapy, meditation, yoga, exercise, or journaling.
The Best Skincare Routine for Itchy Skin
Perhaps the best thing you can do at home for itchy skin is to follow a proper skincare routine that soothes and calms your itchy and irritated skin. For starters, take an inventory of all your current skincare and cosmetics products and get rid of ones that contain potentially irritating ingredients like sulfates, parabens, alcohols, fragrances, and silicones.
Once you have gotten rid of all the bad stuff, you can start finding the right replacements. When it comes to beneficial and effective skincare, look no further than PROVEN.
PROVEN Skincare offers customized skincare products based on your unique skin concerns, lifestyle, heritage, and environment. All you need to do is take a quick three-minute quiz to match you with a custom formula that can help relieve your itchy skin.
Your PROVEN formula will be included in three personalized products: a cleanser, moisturizer, and night cream. If you have itchy skin, you can expect to see soothing ingredients such as green tea extract, niacinamide, Vitamin C, licorice extract, and salicylic acid. With these amazing products and ingredients, you can complete your entire skincare routine in three easy steps!
Simply cleanse twice a day, applying your moisturizer afterwards in the morning and your night cream afterwards in the evening.
PROVEN really makes things as simple and straightforward as possible with our tailored products. After all, we want you to see real results -- which are possible with a little bit of patience and consistency!
Here Is Why Personalized Skincare Is Better
Personalized skincare comes with a host of benefits
  |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Formulated and made-to-order for you | No | |
| Targeting your unique Acne needs | No | |
| Optimized for your lifestyle + environment | No | |
| Easy 3-step system for all your skin needs | No | |
| Made by Stanford scientists and AI tech | No |
OUR TEAM
We're industry leaders in skincare
Dr. Yuan is a Computational Physicist from Stanford University
Proven co-founder, Dr. Amy Yuan, fixed her skincare woes by using her computer science background to analyze the effectiveness of more than 20,238 skincare ingredients, 100,000 products, 20 million testimonials, and more than 4,000 scientific journal articles. Now she is applying that to create the perfect skincare for you.
Your Skin Routine In 3 Simple Steps
Your Personalized Cleanser
Ensures any dirt from the day is removed to reveal glowing, healthy and fresh feeling skin
Your Personalized Day Moisturizer
Helps prevent the skin from drying out, while targeting other issues you may have.
Your Personalized Night Cream
Restores elasticity and delivers intensive nourishment to repair, plump and firm skin while you get your beauty sleep.
