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Itchy skin is an irritating sensation that makes you want to scratch. It's also called pruritus (proo-RIE-tus). Itchy skin is often caused by dry skin and is common in older adults, as skin tends to become drier with age.
For temporary relief of itching, try these self-care measures: Avoid items or situations that cause you to itch. Try to identify what's causing your symptoms and avoid it. This might be wool clothing, an overly heated room, too many hot baths or exposure to a cleaning product. Moisturize daily.
Dermatitis is a common condition that causes swelling and irritation of the skin. It has many causes and forms and often involves itchy, dry skin or a rash. Or it might cause the skin to blister, ooze, crust or flake. Three common types of this condition are atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a condition that causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin. It's common in young children but can occur at any age. Atopic dermatitis is long lasting (chronic) and tends to flare sometimes. It can be irritating but it's not contagious.
Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes a rash with itchy, scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp. Psoriasis is a common, long-term (chronic) disease with no cure. It can be painful, interfere with sleep and make it hard to concentrate.
Hives — also called urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-e-uh) — is a skin reaction that causes itchy welts. Chronic hives are welts that last for more than six weeks and return often over months or years. Often, the cause of chronic hives isn't clear.
Dry skin makes the skin look and feel rough, itchy, flaky or scaly. The location where these dry patches form vary from person to person. It's a common condition that affects people of all ages. Dry skin, also known as xerosis or xeroderma, has many causes, including cold or dry weather, sun damage, harsh soaps, and overbathing.
Seborrheic (seb-o-REE-ik) dermatitis is a common skin condition that mainly affects your scalp. It causes scaly patches, inflamed skin and stubborn dandruff. It usually affects oily areas of the body, such as the face, sides of the nose, eyebrows, ears, eyelids and chest.
Scabies is an itchy skin rash caused by a tiny burrowing mite called Sarcoptes scabiei. Intense itching occurs in the area where the mite burrows. The need to scratch may be stronger at night. Scabies is contagious and can spread quickly through close person-to-person contact in a family, child care group, school class, nursing home or prison.
Atopic dermatitis, an allergic skin condition also called eczema, can cause skin to: Itch. Form red or brown patches that may be harder to see on darker skin tones.