Itchy Skin After Bathing – Can It Be a Serious Disease?

• Itchy skin after bathing may be a symptom of allergy, allergy to chlorine, the so-called water itching, scabies infections and even cancer.
• Very often, itchy skin after bathing affects the legs. This is the case with diseases such as on a vascular basis.
• You can relieve itching after a bath with home remedies, but if they do not help, consult your doctor.

Itchy skin after bathing

Itchy skin after bathing  is a symptom that can be caused by various factors, such as allergic, dermatological, and even vascular and cancerous.

Why does the skin itch after taking a bath ? 

• An allergic reaction to one or more ingredients of the cosmetics used, for example strong detergents found in body and hair lotions.
• An allergic reaction to chlorine contained in water, i.e. a substance commonly used to neutralize microorganisms living in waterworks.
• Sensitization to heavy metals, fertilizers and other substances that may have penetrated into the pipeline (mainly in rural areas).
• Drying of the skin due to the action of “hard” water and chemicals contained in cosmetics.
• Mange mite infection – this parasite is activated under the influence of hot water.

Medicine also knows the concept of water allergy. It is a very serious disorder of completely unknown etiology, manifested by severe itching, burning, and the appearance of approximately 3 mm blisters after each contact of the skin with H2O.

However, the probability of diagnosing this type of problem is minimal – it is estimated that only several dozen people worldwide suffer from water urticaria.

If you experience itching after bathing, you should look carefully at the circumstances. Is it a one-off incident or is it recurring? Was a new cosmetic not used that day? Are there any other worrying symptoms?

Itchy feet after bathing

It is possible to  itch after bathing  the legs themselves. This can be the result of, for example, depilation of the calves and thighs, but not only. There are also various types of diseases, also very serious. It is believed that  itching of the skin after bathing , initially mainly on the legs, is the earliest symptom of  polycythemia Vera  (it precedes other symptoms by several years). It is a very rare cancer of the bone marrow in which there is an overproduction of red blood cells.

Itchy legs in people suffering from this disease is related to cooling the body after leaving a bathtub with warm water. The pruritus then lasts 15 to 60 minutes and then resolves by itself.

The skin itches after bathing  also in patients suffering from hematological disease, which is  Hodgkin’s lymphoma . Unpleasant sensations first appear on the legs, and then all over the body.

Itchy skin after a shower

In many cases, even a brief showering can be itchy. This is the case with the aforementioned diseases, and it is also extremely common in people suffering from the so-called water pruritus. It is one of those disorders, the causes of which are not fully understood, but it is assumed that the  skin itches after a shower due to the expansion of blood vessels under the influence of hot water.

The factor that triggers itching is not water, but heat (which is characteristic, this problem can also occur in people who sweat intensely on a hot day or under the influence of sunlight). The sensations then occurring are very intense, resembling pinpricks. However, they pass spontaneously within an hour at most.  Aquagenic  pruritus  post-shower itching is also most common on the legs.

What about itching after a bath?

Can itching after bathing be reduced or completely prevented? If the problem is not related to the disease and does not require medical intervention or pharmacological treatment, proven  home remedies may be sufficient . 

The best things for itching after a bath  are:

• using delicate, natural cosmetics that do not contain detergents, such as SLS and SLES, preservatives, dyes and fragrances. In case of problems, change the bathing set used and observe the skin reactions in the following days.
• regular care for proper hydration of the whole body – drinking at least 2 liters of water a day.
• the use of natural bath oils such as olive oil.
• gently cooling the body with cooler water before leaving the bath or shower.
• installing a water bath filter that eliminates almost all chlorine.

What about itchy skin  moreover? You can use lotions with emollients for the bath, which have a moisturizing and lubricating effect. Specialist creams for itching of the skin, containing active substances such as panthenol, caprylic  acid, hyaluronic acid , olive oil, hemp oil, paraffin oil, glycerol and many others, also work well.