Skin rashes are often itchy and invariably there is a tendency to scratch, due to the immense, almost orgasmic relief experienced on scratching. However does this mean scratching is good for you?

Scratching is a natural response ingrained into our neural network, aimed to scratch away insects and other objects that might be irritating the skin. Scratching away an insect, removes/ kills the insect  and thus is a defensive mechanism.

However unfortunately the inflammation associated with most skin diseases tends to stimulate the same nerves involved in the defensive mechanism described above, and hence makes us itchy. Scratching skin rashes has no beneficial effect on the physiology of the human body and in fact causes further injury to the skin and this in turn makes the inflammation worse, which in turn makes the subject more itchy. This is called the itch-scratch cycle and is the primary reason why untreated itchy skin rashes progressively get worse.

We well know that telling someone or even yourself ‘Not to scratch’, is better said than done. So, how do we tackle the problem?

Here are some tips:

1. Moisturize the skin with cold (keep it in the fridge) simple plain vaseline or anti-itch creams like Eurax. Massage the cream into the affected area every hour if needed. If you feel like scratching after 10 minutes, massage the cream again!! Moisturizing, makes the skin supple and restores the damaged skin barrier, caused by the inflammation/ rash.

2. Take a sedative anti-histamine like Benadryl or Piriton, 4-6 hourly, as required.

3. Consult your doctor/ Dermatologist to diagnose and treat the skin rash as appropriate.