Itching

General tips to alleviate itching

The following factors should be avoided:

• As dry skin can also itch, all factors should be avoided that dry out the skin too much, such as baths and showers that are too frequent and too hot, dry heating air (more…).
• Skin irritations, e.g. through woollen clothing directly on the skin
• Hot, spicy foods and large quantities of hot drinks and alcohol
• Stress and excitement

The following measures can be helpful:

• Short-term alleviation of the itching can be achieved through lotions or creams with the active ingredients urea and/or Polidocanol (e. g. Optiderm^® lotion).
• Camphor, menthol and tannins (e. g. in Tannosynt® cream) can also alleviate itching.
• Cool showers and cooling compresses, e.g. with black tea, can also help in the short term.
• Relaxation exercises and the avoidance of stress are highly recommended. Please contact your doctor or medical insurance company if necessary. They often have tips on how to best handle stress.
• As scratching makes the itching worse in the long term, the scratching, scouring, etc. should of course be avoided. As this is very difficult, it can be of help to instead place a cold flannel or only exert slight pressure on the itching. Try to think of something else! For instance, by talking to a friend.