If you have atopic dermatitis, the above sentence is one you're probably used to hearing. Love it or hate it, I doubt that you can stay indifferent to it.
Let's start at the beginning. As I've mentioned before on this blog, it truly is unhealthy to scratch, as it aggravates the skin and worsens your condition. Those are the bare facts.
However, the flip side of the coin is that it's extremely hard to avoid scratching altogether. First of all you might be doing so unconciously, and even if you're aware of it - well, it friggin' itches, doesn't it?
So how the heck are you supposed not to scratch?
It's an open question. There's no real solution, with stupid ones including parents tying their kids' hands (was that an urban legend or the real deal? hmm) through things I've mentioned before like meditation and self-hypnosis, and hand-occupying hobbies to take your mind off scratching.
But let me tell you one very personal thing. I, for one, absolutely cannot stand it when people tell me to stop scratching. So "here's a plea, from my heart to you" - don't tell me to stop. I'll stop when I'm good and ready to.
Showing posts with label itching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label itching. Show all posts
Friday, May 8, 2009
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Comment on affected body areas
And if you need further convincing, here's another reason why an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
When things get bad, for any reason, you may make the following discovery the hard way (as I have myself many times). Areas of your body that were previously totally clean and unaffected may react and become part of your general scratching repertoire. And once affected, they will rarely truly stop being part of the sensitive skin.
Example: when I started with braces, I had to use a neck brace (back in the day when they needed those). The skin on the back of my neck started itching, and has not really stopped since. Before this episode it had never been itchy at all.
Similar situations have happened with my scalp, the back of my hands, the tops of my feet and even the palms of my hand and my fingers (when the shit really hit the fan, if you'll excuse my French). Some of these areas go back to normal at some points in time but then flare up again and again at other times.
So watch out for the signs. And take care of yourself even when things are looking up.
When things get bad, for any reason, you may make the following discovery the hard way (as I have myself many times). Areas of your body that were previously totally clean and unaffected may react and become part of your general scratching repertoire. And once affected, they will rarely truly stop being part of the sensitive skin.
Example: when I started with braces, I had to use a neck brace (back in the day when they needed those). The skin on the back of my neck started itching, and has not really stopped since. Before this episode it had never been itchy at all.
Similar situations have happened with my scalp, the back of my hands, the tops of my feet and even the palms of my hand and my fingers (when the shit really hit the fan, if you'll excuse my French). Some of these areas go back to normal at some points in time but then flare up again and again at other times.
So watch out for the signs. And take care of yourself even when things are looking up.
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