What Is Dermatographism: Writing on the Skin
If you are wondering “What is dermatographism?” , one clue is that lines, writing or drawing can appear on the skin. This is a form of chronic urticaria that causes people to be sensitive to touch, pressure, and scratching. When the skin is scratched it becomes a raised, red, itchy rash. People with true dermatographism have pressure as the only stimulator for their symptoms. Children who suffer from dermatographism are sometimes mistaken for victims of abuse if the welts linger. This is because a doctor, teacher, or aw enforcement agent might see the welts and think that they are the result of injuries inflicted by someone else.
In some forms of dermatographism, symptoms appear within a few minutes of stroking the skin with an object, and the rash goes away without treatment within an hour. Other forms of dermatographism, like delayed pressure urticaria, are accompanied by a burning sensation and pain that can last for hours after the pressure was applied. No one knows why dermatographism happens. It’s possible that this is a true allergy, and that the allergic antibodies that are in the body are causing this reaction. However, it is unknown what the antibodies are fighting against.
Dermatographism is diagnosed by stroking the skin with an object, such as a pen. Delayed pressure urticaria is diagnosed a weight is placed on the skin for a certain period of time, when the area becomes swollen and red for a few hours and possibly lasting for days. Some people are not particularly bothered by their dermatographism, and thus, no treatment is necessary. For those looking for relief, symptoms can be reduced with various antihistamines. Some people find their dermatographism annoying or painful, in which case antihistamines may be prescribed to counteract the mast cells and make the welts less common and less noticeable. Certain sedatives also appear to be effective in handling this condition. Some people take hydroxaine or zyrtec to help with itching and inflammation. For those looking for natural solutions a reader told me that acupuncture helped her. Kids like to show it off at school so it’s good to get a new perspective when you feel frustrated and in touch with your inner child.
My brother would write on his skin and it was so funny. But it did look like red welts and I think people thought that he may have gotten some home abuse. He took zyrtec for a while because of burning and itching symptoms.
My symptoms can be so irritating and painful.Often, if in public it can be embarrassing.Raised welts on my face by a simple touch can look like some sort of skin disease. Lately, I have what I call a spell.It’s extreme itching as if there are a million fire ants biting me and I can’t stop. A cold shower seems to ease the pain a bit, but not for long.Elavil is the only medication that seems to ease the itching but the side effects from the medicine keep me from being productive for a day or so. I also had non-hodgekins disease five years ago and remember several attacks prior to my diagnosis. I have not had many spells since then until lately. I have no medical insurance and have no idea how to get any other treatment or medical advice.Sometimes it seems to happen when the eather changes a bit and right before bedtime. I will defanately try zyrtec.
I have had dermatographism for about 5 years now, and the only medication that will virtually eliminate all symptoms is Zyrtec (or Zyrtec with the main ingredient, Cetirizine). I just take 10 mg a day, 1 pill, and I am symptom free. If I forget a day, I can definitely feel it coming back. My skin starts to burn and itch uncontrollably. Anyway, try that.
I have dermatographism, & mine has also come in waves or “spells”.
I have the same feeling of beig bitten by fire ants when it is most extreme. I have found that ice helps a great deal to relieve the pain.
I was diagnosed with Lyme disease about 5 years ago, after being bitten by a tick about 12 years prior to the onset of my Lyme symptoms. Durring this time period, I experienced my first attack of dermatographism.
I am curious to know if anyone else has had a similar medical history.
Also, I am an avid marijuana smoker & I quit last year. Dermatographism started again almost immediately when I quit. I started again, it faded. I quit again, & it came back full force 3 days later. I am curious to know if this is affecting my dermatographism.
danielle if your stress level is up it could be contributing to your hives outbreaks. maybe you need to ask your doc for an antihistamine with a sedative in it just to get your stress under control. congrats on quitting! I quit smoking three months ago and this skin writing thing has gone mad out of control on me since about a month ago. I googled for help and other stories, and found you. There ya go..
Hi,
I am new to this,I have had this for 21 years.I dont have insurance and i barely make enough to survive on, so I havent gone to the doc to be diagnosed or treated.I actually never thought about this being unusual< I just assumed there was many people out there that there skin did that so I never thought about it twice, until i decided to look it about 5 min ago.I started going through this when I turned 11 and have had it ever since.My parents didnt have insurance either so here I am today lol.Anyway mine never ease up I have it daily 24 hours a day,I am always so itchy so I cant help but scratch, and so I always am red and have welts everywhere.I will have to most def. try the zyrtec and see if it helps.Thanks for someone suggesting that, i hope it helps, cause it is very emberassing having people always staring.
I am 39 and have had this problem for about 3-4 years now. I have often wondered why it started and what caused it, but it sounds like that is not known. When it is active, the skin on every part of my body is very sensitive to any type of pressure or scratching, and it becomes red and very itchy. When it is at its worst, walking barefoot will cause the bottom of my feet to itch, picking something up makes the palms of my hands itch, and eating anything semi-hard (it was Cheerios this morning) will cause my tongue, gums, and esophagus to itch. When I first brought it up to my doctor, he suggested Zyrtec (one 10mg pill per day). I tried it and it definitely helped, but did not take care of the symptoms entirely. He then suggested I try taking two Zyrtec per day, and that took away my symptoms entirely. If I run out of Zyrtec, symptoms come back full force within a couple days, but as long as I take it faithfully I am fine. The generic versions work as well as the name brand for me, and I can get a 45 day supply (90 tablets) from Wal-mart for about $28. I am always looking for a cheaper source. My doc mentioned I could get a bottle of 365 for about $15 from Cost-co, but there is not one near us.
I have had dermatographism since I was 12 years old. My doctor had prescribed me Allegra and it had worked for me. Bad part is, is that I have to take it daily to control the welts.
I have been dealing with this since i was 21 i laughed at reading some of the comments because i thought i was the only one who struggles from the annoying problem it itches real bad with a burn i hate when the attack comes when im in a public setting. Then i have to tell people not to touch me far as my arms because that will set me off i take the zyrtec that’s the best thing to help me with this condition. really i wish it would just go away