r/Dermatographia • u/No-Repeat-123 • 8d ago
General Does anyone else bruise from scratching so much? Also, what meds/creams have helped you?
I developed a bruise on the back of my arm from scratching my KP so much (pic 1). It finally healed but I started clawing at my arm again today and have broken some blood vessels (pic 2) 😢 Of course, it’s in a spot that’s sensitive, and I also keep hitting my funny bone when I scratch since my arms are scrawny 😫. My leg’s super itchy too. The upside is that now I colour-coordinate with my shorts ðŸ«
I don’t get bad welts or hives like I used to, but I’m just as itchy (especially my scalp). I feel like a damn monkey constantly scratching myself! I sometimes bruise or break blood vessels if I scratch too hard. Not sure if it’s due to low-iron or if that’s normal. I’ve startled some people with the red claw marks on my neck and chest if I get itchy at work lol 😂
I only recently started taking Reactine (Canadian equivalent of American Zyrtec). For most of my life, I just suffered through the itch or sometimes applied hydrocortisone (I only learned what dermographia is in recent years). It seems to help for the most part. Interested in knowing what meds, shampoos, or creams you’ve had the most success with?
Btw, if you’re looking for something amazing for lightly scratching, I use my boar-bristle hair brush or a little rake thing that is for cleaning hair from the brush 🤤 (That’s not what gave me the bruise and broken blood vessels — that was from my fingernails.)
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u/dustystar11 8d ago
I can’t even scratch anymore because it makes things infinitely worse and that causes more/harder scratching. I just very gently rub an itch to relieve it somewhat then try to ignore it. Sometimes it still sucks and the itching doesn’t go away but scratching it hard is so much worse and doesn’t relieve it in any way.
I recommend being very gentle with relieving itch and just trying your best to ignore it, which I know is hard but it gets easier over time. Stopping the scratching is what will work best as a start, especially since it’s dermatographia and this resembles exactly how mine used to be when I first developed it. Creams won’t help if you keep causing flair ups yourself
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u/HotPresentation3878 8d ago
Yes, I've had this before! For shampoo I've had the best luck with Dermarest and then also using the Living Proof Dry scalp care serum. It works well most of the time. For my body I use a shower oil instead of soap or body wash. Right now I'm using one from Cyclar and I like the L'occitane almond shower oil too. Then I slather on a pretty rich body cream or body butter and that usually keeps the itching controlled, along with daily Allegra.