Itching and Scratching Go Hand in Hand
As a caregiver or eczema sufferer, you know how easily skin can itch. When scratching the itchy skin, the red, bumpy rash of eczema appears or becomes worse. That means scratching the itchy skin leads to more itching, which leads to more scratching. Are you itching because you’re scratching or scratching because you’re itching? When you have eczema, they go hand in hand. We call it the itch-scratch cycle.14
How the Cycle May Start: The Eczema Trigger
- When you have eczema, your skin reacts to a trigger, such as pollen, detergent, or fabric. (In some cases, the actual eczema trigger is unknown)
- The trigger causes the skin to send signals to your body's immune system, and the affected area becomes red, irritated, and itchy,15 which leads to scratching
- Here's where the itch-scratch cycle comes in. The more you scratch the itchy skin, the more irritated it becomes, and the itching can actually intensify 14