What's causing your itchy skin?

皮肤发痒的原因是什么？

Around 10% of people experience notable itching², officially called pruritus. You can have itchy skin due to simple dryness, poison ivy³, chickenpox, bug bites, or more serious conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Sometimes itching plagues your whole body, other times just one place. Itchy skin can last for weeks-or more. Sometimes itchiness comes with redness, rashes, bumps, or cracked skin, and sometimes it doesn't.

大约10%的人都会有皮肤很痒的经历，官方称之为瘙痒症。皮肤干燥、毒葛、水痘、被虫咬或牛皮癣、湿疹等更严重的情况会导致皮肤发痒。有时候，你会全身发痒，有时只是局部发痒。皮肤瘙痒可持续几周或更久。有时候，伴随发痒而来的是红肿、皮疹、肿起或皮肤被抓破，有时候却不会有这些症状。

If you have itchy skin, you're going to want to get to know what's causing it so you can figure out how to stop it. Most of the time it's no big deal and may be as simple as following Grandma's instructions: Don't scratch!

如果你皮肤发痒，那你就需要知道发痒的原因，这样才知道如何治疗。大多数时候，发痒并不是什么大事，也许只要听老人的话就会好了：别抓！

Here are a few common itchy skin causes to look out for-and how to stop that itch¹.

以下是常见的皮肤发痒的原因以及治疗方法，值得人们留意。

为什么你总是皮肤发痒？.png

Dry skin

皮肤干燥

This is one of the most common causes of itchy skin, and one that usually doesn't come with a rash. Dry skin is especially common in older folks or people who smoke, spend too much time in the sun, or overuse skin products. It's also prevalent in the winter and in dry environments.

这是导致皮肤发痒最为常见的原因之一，通常这种原因造成的发痒不会伴随皮疹。老年人、吸烟人群、长时间晒太阳的人群、过度使用护肤产品的人群最容易皮肤干燥。冬季和干燥的环境中，也很容易皮肤干燥。

Dry skin feels rough and flakes⁴, but you shouldn't see any red bumps, which are usually a sign of something else. Dry skin often itches⁵, but not always. Your first strategy against dry skin is to moisturize three to four times a day. Limit the time you spend in the bath or shower, as this can further dry your skin.

干燥的皮肤十分粗糙，而且还有皮肤屑，但却不会红肿。若皮肤红肿，可能是其它原因所致。皮肤干燥通常会引起皮肤发痒，但也并不总是这种情况。对抗皮肤干燥的第一条策略就是每天润肤三至四次。减少泡在浴缸或淋浴的时间，因为这会使你的皮肤更干燥。

A common next step is 1% hydrocortisone skin cream, available over the counter. If that doesn't help after about a week, see your doctor; she may prescribe a stronger steroid cream or an antihistamine⁶ pill.

常见的第二步就是抹1%的氢化可的松护肤霜，药店有的卖。如果一周后没有效果，那就得去看医生了；或许医生能给你开更强效的类固醇霜或抗组胺药。

Atopic dermatitis

特应性皮炎

Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema. It can appear as dry, red, irritated skin. If it becomes infected, you may also have small, fluid-filled bumps, which can break and crust over.

特应性皮炎是最常见的湿疹的一种。可能使皮肤又干、又红，还会发炎。如果皮肤受到感染，你的身体还会起小小的脓包，破了后脓水会流'一身'。

"The mainstay of eczema therapy is moisturize, moisturize, moisturize," says Nishit Patel, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa.

"湿疹疗法的主要内容是滋润、滋润、滋润，"位于坦帕的南佛罗里达大学医学院皮肤病学助理教授Nishit Patel医学博士说。