I have suffered with a itchy skin problem for years, but recently it has got much worse on my buttocks and torso. A few years ago I was diagnosed with papular urticaria and given various creams and tablets, but with no success. Could the fact I smoke be to blame? Dr Ellie replies: Urticaria is
“There’s actual studies that show that itching is contagious,” journalist Annie Lowrey says. “Watching somebody scratch will make a person scratch.” Kinga Krzeminska/Moment RF via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kinga Krzeminska/Moment RF via Getty Images We’ve all had bug bites, or dry scalp, or a sunburn that causes itch. But what if you
I’ve had a genital itch for years. I take prescription drugs which have itchiness listed as a side effect, but I can’t understand why it would be confined to just down there. My GP says there’s no rash. What can I do? Dr Ellie replies: Itchiness is a side effect of many common medications, including antibiotics,
For more than 50 years Martyn Pring’s life was dominated by an ‘uncontrollable’ urge to itch – and nothing doctors suggested seemed to help. It began after a bout of German measles when he was two, and from then on Martyn, now in his sixties, would regularly be overcome by an urge to scratch at