Having a bout of itching after taking a bath is something that many people are affected with. This itching usually comes and goes on its own and people do not even give a second thought on it, but there are some instances when this itching after bathing goes on unrelentlessly for a long period of time and does not tend to abate. This is something which is a cause for concern and needs to be looked at. Hence, it becomes important for everyone to know as to what exactly causes itching after bathing and what are the ways to deal with it and even prevent it from happening.
Itching is nothing but a signal given by the body that something is not right in a particular area of the skin or the skin is irritated. The irritation on the skin may be caused due to various reasons, which the body recognizes as a potential threat and thus, the sensation of itching occurs. An example of this may be an ant crawling on the hands. The skin receptors recognizes the foreign body on the skin surface and immediately triggers an itch response which causes you to itch and this drives the ant away from the body.
Sometimes, the skin receptors are activated sending a twitch response for substances which are totally harmless to the body. This is one of the reason as to why there is Itching after Bathing for some people. This article gives you an idea about what may be the potential causes of Itching after Bathing and different remedies for it. It will also give a brief overview as to how to prevent itching after Bathing.
What Causes Itching After Bathing?
It may come as a surprise to many, but water is a potential skin irritant and may activate an itch response from the body despite the body being constituted of about 70% of water and the necessity of water for a healthy body. Water becomes a skin irritant causing an itching sensation if it is present on the skin for a long period of time. There are certain substances dissolved in water like chlorine and salt, which tend to irritate the skin if water is on the body for a very long period of time. Thus, Itching after Bathing may occur if you take too long a bath and do not dry yourself thoroughly after bathing.
Water Temperature: The temperature of the water which you use for bathing is also one of the potential causes for itching after bathing. If the water is too hot then it may cause the skin to get irritated resulting in itching after bathing. The reason behind this is that when we use hot water it tends to widen up the blood vessels on the skin and blood rushes into these areas causing premature activation of skin receptors which then tends to result in activation of itching sensation. Sometimes, if there is an injury to the skin then the warm water tends to aggravate the injury and cause an itching response resulting in Itching after Bathing.
Toiletry Use: These are the most common triggers for Itching after Bathing. The soaps or shampoos that we use may contain certain chemicals to which we may be allergic to causing itching after bathing. This is also true for certain toothpaste, which may drip on the skin surface while bathing and cause an allergic reaction causing Itching after Bathing.
Some of the Other Causes of Itching After Bathing are:
Excessive Scrubbing: Vigorous cleaning by scrubbing the skin tends to irritate the skin and trigger an itch response causing itching after bathing.
Skin Disorders: If an individual is suffering from a skin disorder or an inflammatory disease then bathing may exacerbate the Inflammation resulting in itching after bathing.
Skin Hypersensitivity: Some people tend to have hypersensitive skin. This may worsen with scrubbing the body when bathing causing skin irritation resulting in itching after bathing.
How to Get Rid of Itching After Bathing?
Usually Itching after Bathing tends to resolve within a short span of time, but in case if this does not happen then below mentioned are a few simple remedies which can be tried to get rid of itching after Bathing.
- Do not stay in the shower for very long and make sure that the water is not very hot as it can irritate the skin. Try and not scrub the body while bathing so as to prevent itching after bathing
- Dry yourself thoroughly after a bath preferably with a drier, so that the skin does not get irritated and you do not get the feel to itch after your bath.
- If the itching is localized to one particular spot after bathing then use of a petroleum jelly is quite effective in getting rid of itching. Calamine lotion is also quite an effective remedy for getting rid of itching after bathing.
- In case if sensation to itch after bathing does not resolve then try and sit in a cool room for some time to allow the itching to resolve.
- In some severe cases, antihistamines and other medications are recommended only when other means of treating have failed and there is persistence of itching after bathing.
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