{"id":2841,"date":"2026-09-23T04:58:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T04:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/?p=2841"},"modified":"2026-10-04T21:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T01:46:08","slug":"chronic-itching-pruritus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/medical-dermatology\/chronic-itching-pruritus\/","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Itching (Pruritus)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"\/medical-dermatology\/\">\u2190 Back to Medical Dermatology<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Persistent itching can disrupt sleep and concentration even when there is little or no visible rash.<\/p>\n<p>We look for skin causes, medication effects, nerve-related symptoms, and internal conditions that sometimes contribute.<\/p>\n<p>The goal is to identify what is driving the itch and give you a practical plan for relief.<\/p>\n<h2>Why skin keeps itching<\/h2>\n<p>Dry skin, eczema, contact reactions and other skin disorders are common causes. Medication effects, nerve-related itch and some internal conditions can also contribute. Scratching may eventually produce thickened patches called lichen simplex chronicus; those changes are a consequence of scratching, not a diagnosis of every underlying cause.<\/p>\n<h2>Finding the cause<\/h2>\n<p>We review where itching occurs, whether a rash came first, medicines, exposures and sleep disruption. Depending on your symptoms, evaluation may include a skin scraping, biopsy or selected laboratory tests. Broad testing is not necessary for everyone. Tell us about unexplained weight loss, fevers, night sweats or jaundice.<\/p>\n<h2>Chronic itching treatments and medications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Barrier care:<\/strong> Fragrance-free moisturizers, short lukewarm showers and gentle cleansers can help dry skin. Pramoxine-containing products may offer temporary relief when suitable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inflammatory skin disease:<\/strong> Topical corticosteroids or nonsteroidal medicines may treat the identified rash. Steroids are not a universal answer for itching without inflammation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Histamine-related itch:<\/strong> Antihistamines such as cetirizine or fexofenadine may help <a href=\"\/medical-dermatology\/hives-urticaria\/\">hives<\/a>, but often provide limited benefit for other causes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Selected persistent or nerve-related itch:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medlineplus.gov\/druginfo\/meds\/a694007.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gabapentin<\/a>, pregabalin or mirtazapine may be considered off-label. Sedation, falls, kidney function and drug interactions need review.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Light treatment:<\/strong> Selected patients benefit from medically supervised <a href=\"\/phototherapy\/\">narrowband UVB phototherapy<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Treatment should target the cause. Medicines approved for <a href=\"\/medical-dermatology\/prurigo-nodularis\/\">prurigo nodularis<\/a> or eczema are not automatically approved for unexplained generalized itching. Do not stop prescribed medicines without discussing them with the prescriber.<\/p>\n<h2>Common questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Can itching be real when there is no rash?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. A normal-looking skin surface does not rule out a medical cause.<\/p>\n<h3>Does chronic itching mean cancer?<\/h3>\n<p>Usually it has another explanation. Persistent symptoms and accompanying changes guide whether additional investigation is appropriate.<\/p>\n<h3>Can dark patches remain after scratching?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Skin thickening and pigment changes may outlast the itch and are particularly noticeable in melanin-rich skin.<\/p>\n<p>Patient resources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bad.org.uk\/pils\/pruritus-itching\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">British Association of Dermatologists: pruritus<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bad.org.uk\/pils\/lichen-simplex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lichen simplex chronicus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Schedule an evaluation<\/h2>\n<p>Appointments are available in Garden City, Syosset, and Bellerose, NY. <a href=\"https:\/\/l.klara.com\/b8jVLrQpaCXKPX7F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Book Appointment<\/a> or call <a href=\"tel:+15162468800\">(516) 246-8800<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Lichen_simplex_chronichus.jpg\" alt=\"Thickened skin in lichen simplex chronicus, one possible consequence of persistent scratching\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;max-height:480px;width:auto\" \/><figcaption>Lichen simplex chronicus is one possible result of persistent scratching; chronic itch can also occur with normal-looking skin. <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Lichen_simplex_chronichus.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo: Mohammad2018<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Original image; resized for display. Not a Borealis patient.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-service-back-bottom=\"1\" style=\"text-align:left;margin-top:40px;padding-top:20px;border-top:1px solid #d7d7d7\"><a href=\"\/medical-dermatology\/\">\u2190 Back to Medical Dermatology<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Evaluation and treatment for persistent itching, with a care plan based on your symptoms, examination and medical history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":2836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medical-dermatology"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phqUFp-JP","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/borealisderm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Lichen_simplex_chronichus.jpg?fit=720%2C960&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3234,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2841\/revisions\/3234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borealisderm.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}