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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffOnce a cause is identified, treatments for itchy skin may include:
- Medications. These include oral antihistamines for allergies or hives and corticosteroid creams for itching from skin inflammation.
- Wet dressings. This involves applying medicated cream to affected areas and then covering these areas with damp cotton material that has been soaked in water or other solutions. The moisture in the wet dressings helps the skin absorb the medicated cream.
- Treating the underlying disease. If an internal disease is found, whether it's kidney disease, iron deficiency or a thyroid problem, treating that disease often relieves the itch. Other itch-relief methods also may be recommended.
- Light therapy (phototherapy). Phototherapy involves exposing your skin to certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light. Multiple sessions are usually scheduled until the itching is under control.
Although many types of itching respond well to treatment, relief may not be immediate. However, a number of creams and ointments are specifically designed to relieve itch. These include short-term use of topical anesthetics such as lidocaine or benzocaine, or ointments and lotions such as menthol, camphor or calamine. Although these anti-itch products may immediately soothe your itch, treatment of the underlying cause is most important for long-term relief.
- Fazio SB. Pruritus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Moses S. Pruritus. American Family Physician. 2003;68:1135.
- Pruritus. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_pruritus.html. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
- Moses S. Pruritus. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/109109584-3/0/1621/21.html?tocnode=54633488&fromURL=21.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4435-2..50012-1_151. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
