Itchy legs can be an annoying issue. It’s important for you to know what causes them and how you can stop the itch. This is important because it will help you find out ways to treat the condition through learning about its roots. This article will try to show you the basic information that you would need to know about itchy legs and how you can handle it properly.
Itchy Legs Overview
Human skin serves to protect man from foreign environmental entities. Because of this, it can be very sensitive particularly to a number of sensations from the outside world. Most of these sensations are harmless. However, there are some sensations that can cause discomfort for anyone afflicted with it.
These sensations can vary according to intensity and duration. It can last for about a few minutes to a few weeks depending on the severity of the situation. The next section will discuss the causes of itchy legs in detail and how you can stop it from making you feel uncomfortable throughout the day.
Additional Details and Major Causes of Itchy Legs
Most of the time, itchy legs does not have any underlying causes or visual symptoms. Rashes or skin infections might not be found. However, it can still cause a great discomfort for the individual. It can even affect a normal person’s functioning and alter sleep patterns consequentially.
It is also important to differentiate and separate itching from other possible conditions that may be related to uncomfortable skin sensations for the patient. Sometimes, itching can also be accompanied by pain. However, this may be due to actual injuries that may be incurred from scratching too much. It may also be due to neurological conditions that could be happening to the patient presently.
Here are some of the major causes of itchy legs that the need to take note of as follows.
Poor Hygiene
By having poor hygiene, you can be sure that all the bacteria, sweat and oil will stay in your skin and therefore cause irritation that can lead to itching. However, excessive cleaning can also lead to itching because of the development of dry skin. This is why it is important to find a balance between keeping yourself clean and not being too clean in the process. An additional thing you can do is take prebiotics, which help grow the good bacteria inside our body and helps fight disease.
Keratosis Pilaris: Chicken Skin Or Leg Acne
Because of Keratosis Pilaris the hair follicles in the legs thicken and therefore will cause your legs to itch. It is not limited to one part of the body. It can occur in the thighs, as well as the arms. Two of the most aggravating factors that you need to remember when it comes toKeratosis Pilaris are heat and irritation from foreign entities in the environment. In addition to this, the clothes that you wear can also cause irritation for your skin.
Folliculitis
This condition refers to an infection in the hair follicles. Physical symptoms include red bumps in the skin of the legs with the white centers that may be similar to those of acne. This can usually be seen on the following body parts.
- Thighs
- Face
- Upper trunk
In addition, this is usually caused by a bacterium known as Staphylococcus Aureus. Fortunately, even if not treated it may heal on its own after a few days or weeks at the most.
Jock Itch
This is normally caused by a fungal infection in the groin area. It can also be seen in the upper thighs. Physical representation is described to be a brown rash that can be found in the inner thighs and buttocks. This is usually caused by tinea fungi. Usually, this condition would affect athletes as well as other people who perspire a lot especially in the nether regions. It is good to know that it can be treated by antifungal medication.
There are other situations that might trigger leg itching such as warm showers, walking or running. However the causes of these episodes are still unknown to medical experts. Ultimately, sweating can also cause itching due to the release of histamines when sweating. The patient may also have an allergy to sweat itself which may cause severe itching.
Possible Treatment Methods for Itchy Legs
According to experts, itching can be treated primarily by discontinuing physical activities such as exercise and refraining from wearing tight clothing especially around the legs. In addition, showering with lukewarm water can also relieve the itching of the affected area.
If the itching does not stop despite these measures, you can also take antihistamine medications that can inhibit the production of histamines which can cause irritation for the skin. Also, you can follow these steps if you would want to prevent your legs from itching.
- Never exercise during hot/humid weather.
- Take showers before and after exercises to remove all the oil, dirt and dust from your body.
- Do not forget to use moisturizers to keep your skin from drying up.
- Wear light and comfortable clothing. Cotton based clothes are always advisable.
- Wash any kind of new sportswear or underwear to make sure that the fabric would not react badly to your skin.
If worse comes to worse that you incur any allergies because of certain environmental factors, food such as nuts, berries, or bbq sauce, doctors will have to administer an injection of adrenaline within your muscles to relieve itching. These are just some of the major factors that you need to remember when trying to figure out what may be the main cause of your itching legs.
By remembering all these factors and reminders you will be able to avoid having itchy legs as much as possible despite vigorous physical activities in your life. In addition, you should not hesitate to ask your Physician any questions regarding itchy legs for future reference.
Shan is an accomplished writer and blogger. His blog Healthresource4u.com talks about different health related topics. He loves to write about women’s fitness related topic like hy men, yeast Infection in women etc.
