If you’ve ever had a piercing and been left scratching your skin, it almost certainly means that something is tickling your skin. While itching is a normal reaction to a piercing, it may not be the cause of the itching. Picking at the piercing is usually from the piercing itself, and scratching may be a sign that it has not healed properly.
All piercing comes with a risk of infection, so it’s important that the piercing be properly cared for. The best way to do this is to use a good piercing oil, but there are many that don’t. Also, if the piercing is removed, it may take a few days before the infection settles in. If you feel the scratching, try using topical anti-itch creams.
Itching is an occupational hazard, but it can also be caused by environmental irritants. If you scratch your itching skin, try to keep it from being scratchy. If you can’t stop it from being scratchy, you might want to get an appointment with a dermatologist.
What if you scratch while you’re swimming? Some dermatologists will prescribe pain relieving creams for swimming, and some people find taking anti-itching creams a good alternative. If you’re looking for a water-resistant solution, there are several that are made specifically for this purpose.
When I was a kid my mom would always put an antiseptic cream on my bed, which would help ease the itch. I find this to be a great way to keep my skin from being irritated by environmental irritants, but I still have a few friends who will tell me that they feel as if their skin is on fire when they scratch. So, if you have some trouble scratching, you might want to try an anti-itch cream.
I’m also not the only one with skin that is on fire. Scientists working on mice have discovered that scratching is actually a form of pain, and that there’s a way to suppress this pain without the discomfort of burning. This suggests that humans with skin that is prone to irritation could be able to prevent it altogether with a little bit of knowledge—or some new technology.
We may be able to prevent skin irritation with a new technology. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that a protein called collagen may play a role in pain, which suggests that maybe there’s a way to silence painful skin without burning it. The team created a synthetic version of the protein and found that it stopped pain signals in mice. The researchers think this could be a way to prevent itching in humans.
Itchy skin is a problem many of us deal with. I’ve heard of people who itch when they sleep, and I’ve heard of other people who itch when they’re hungry. In fact, I’ve heard of people who itch when they are in the dentist’s chair. However, until now, scientists have yet to figure out what causes skin irritation.
Scientists are interested in the answer to that question, and they’ve been working on what they call “antipruritic” skin treatments. The idea is that the protein in the chemical concoction will trigger a type of pain receptor on the skin and stop the itch. It is a very clever idea, but it might not work. It is not known if the protein itself works, and it is not known what causes the skin to itch.
