為什麼你總是皮膚髮癢?大綱
What's causing your itchy skin?
皮膚髮癢的原因是什麼？Around 10% of people experience notable itching, officially called pruritus. You can have itchy skin due to simple dryness, poison ivy, 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.
大約10%的人都會有皮膚很癢的經歷，官方稱之為瘙癢症。皮膚乾燥、毒葛、水痘、被蟲咬或牛皮癬、濕疹等更嚴重的情況會導致皮膚髮癢。有時候，你會全身發癢，有時只是局部發癢。皮膚瘙癢可持續幾周或更久。有時候，伴隨發癢而來的是紅腫、皮疹、腫起或皮膚被抓破，有時候卻不會有這些症狀。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!
如果你皮膚髮癢，那你就需要知道發癢的原因，這樣才知道如何治療。大多數時候，發癢並不是什麼大事，也許只要聽老人的話就會好了：別抓！
Here are a few common itchy skin causes to look out for-and how to stop that itch.
以下是常見的皮膚髮癢的原因以及治療方法，值得人們留意。
Dry skin
皮膚乾燥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.
這是導致皮膚髮癢最為常見的原因之一，通常這種原因造成的發癢不會伴隨皮疹。老年人、吸煙人羣、長時間曬太陽的人羣、過度使用護膚產品的人羣最容易皮膚乾燥。冬季和乾燥的環境中，也很容易皮膚乾燥。Dry skin feels rough and flakes, but you shouldn't see any red bumps, which are usually a sign of something else. Dry skin often itches, 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.
乾燥的皮膚十分粗糙，而且還有皮膚屑，但卻不會紅腫。若皮膚紅腫，可能是其它原因所致。皮膚乾燥通常會引起皮膚髮癢，但也並不總是這種情況。對抗皮膚乾燥的第一條策略就是每天潤膚三至四次。減少泡在浴缸或淋浴的時間，因為這會使你的皮膚更乾燥。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 antihistamine pill.
常見的第二步就是抹1%的氫化可的鬆護膚霜，藥店有的賣。如果一週後沒有效果，那就得去看醫生了；或許醫生能給你開更強效的類固醇霜或抗組胺藥。Atopic dermatitis
特應性皮炎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.
特應性皮炎是最常見的濕疹的一種。可能使皮膚又幹、又紅，還會發炎。如果皮膚受到感染，你的身體還會起小小的膿包，破了後膿水會流'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.
"濕疹療法的主要內容是滋潤、滋潤、滋潤，"位於坦帕的南佛羅里達大學醫學院皮膚病學助理教授Nishit Patel醫學博士説。
