Clawing my skin off here....

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Washed out a week or so before Xmas on a fast, flat turn (the off camber turn near the caravan park on Bruce Ridge, for those that know it), copped the usual shallow graze up the side of my leg on the shin/calf muscle. It was the kind of graze that stings a little bit in the shower but barely rates a thought after that. A week later, the scabs are almost all gone and the light scar tissue fades not long after that. Standard stuff.

However, this area has just remained so itchy, to the point that I'm drawing blood with all the scratching (that I catch myself doing unconsciously) and I'm not sure why this is happening.

Anyone experience anything like this before? Anyone have any idea what might be causing it? I assume it's SARS...
 

bear the bear

Is a real bear
The skin contains specialized nerve fibers that detect when the dermis is being irritated and send signals to the spinal cord, communicating that there is an itch. These nerves can be activated in several ways. For example, if a bug crawls on you, these fibers focus your attention on that area to warn you about a potential danger. According to the University of Cambridge, this is called a mechanical stress.
Wound healing also elicits mechanical stress that activates itching. As it heals, the cells around the wound proliferate, which means the margins around the wound grow and migrate inwards toward the base. In fact, the cells follow an electrical pathway at a voltage that is different than the margin so they can tell where the base is. The cells then unite at the center, attach together and contract to pull the wound shut. This process creates a mechanical stress that activates the itch nerves and tells the spinal cord to scratch.
These nerve fibers can also be activated by chemicals secreted by the body, which is how wound healing causes itching. As the University of Cambridge explains, the body releases histamine in response to the wound and its sudden exposure to outside elements as a protective function.
Other factors can also add to the itching. As the AARP reports, during the recovery process, scar tissue begins to form over the affected area. When too much of this tissue grows, it can form hard, smooth growths known as keloids, and these can irritate the skin, particularly when rubbed against clothing. Though they’re generally not bad for one’s health, they may lead to discolored skin after healing and can enhance scarring.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
Definitely SARS.

or the clap. Either or.
I think he got flea or lice eggs under his skin during the crash. These have hatched and bred in the tiny air pockets under his scar. In a few weeks to a month will swell up and pop like a massive boil/pimple. Instead of the usual mess it will be pimples and fleas/lice that ooze out. There's heaps of this over the internet
 

Ultra Lord

Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
I think he got flea or lice eggs under his skin during the crash. These have hatched and bred in the tiny air pockets under his scar. In a few weeks to a month will swell up and pop like a massive boil/pimple. Instead of the usual mess it will be pimples and fleas/lice that ooze out. There's heaps of this over the internet
Scabbies!
You’ll have to burn everything @johnny
 

Daniel Hale

She fid, he fid, I fidn't
wound healing activates mechanical which activates itching, therefore itchy is usually a good sign that an area is healing, sml unconsolidated rock fragments may be dislodged under the skin which the body cannot clear, possible for you to get a scourer & scrub the area to debride the wound..obviously use a new clean one?
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
I'm not sure how much of that applies here though as the wound has been healed for months. The only evidence that it was once wounded is my now dry and scaly skin from being scratched too much. I don't recall it being too itchy when the wound was healing so I guess the keloids might be an explanation but it doesn't get irritated when anything rubs against it, it's just fucking itchy!
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Definately scabies. Three baths a day in agent orange. Continue until scabies are gone or limbs fall off. Same thing I guess.
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Serious question - do you mostly wear pants or shorts? It sounds dermatitis-like.

I had it on my quads for ages, switched washing powder then no more dramas. If I get crazing itchy on my calves I've generally been wearing shorts and probably brushed against some grass seeds or thistles causing a mild allergic reaction..
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Serious question - do you mostly wear pants or shorts? It sounds dermatitis-like.

I had it on my quads for ages, switched washing powder then no more dramas. If I get crazing itchy on my calves I've generally been wearing shorts and probably brushed against some grass seeds or thistles causing a mild allergic reaction..
Definitely not a skin condition. I know because I already suffer from psoriasis, dermatitis, SARS and am even very slightly allergic to water. My skin fucking hates being me.

It's definitely not any of those bastards, it's very much like something seems to have gone wrong in the healing process.
 

stirk

Burner
I can't explain it but I have an itchy spot on my leg where a motorbike exhaust pipe melted my skin as I lay under the bike after a crash. That was 25 years ago and the itch comes and goes and is isolated to that area where I was burnt. Sometimes the itch will last for months and other times a few days and I find it comes back more often in colder weather. It's annoying because it reminds me of the crash.
 

Freediver

I can go full Karen
Vicious circle, your skin is itchy because it's healing from the damage you did scratching it. If you keep scratching you will keep the cycle going.
 
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