Itchy feet and hands

Itching in the hands and feet

The skin is the major concern for human beings, and it hasmany functions, but its most important role is to protect the body and itsinner organs and systems. Since it is an external organ, it is exposed to manyenvironmental factors. In addition to this, the skin can be also affected bycertain internal disorders and diseases.

Itchy hands and feet are not a disease or adisorder. They represent the symptoms of other skin disorders. In some people, the itching is just mild, but there are people who complain that the itching becomessevere at night and that it is usually accompanied by pain, excessivesweating and a burning sensation. In order to treat these two symptoms effectively andsuccessfully, it is important to establish the real cause that is responsiblefor the occurrence of itchy hands and feet.

Causes of itchy feet and hands

In the majority of cases, itchy feet and hands arecaused by dry skin. Dryness of the skin usually happens during the winterseason, due to the lack of moisture and humidity. When one suffers from dryskin, he/she may experience itching in the hands and feet. Other symptoms of dryskin include redness of the skin and appearance of cracks or flaky patches onthe surface of the skin.Another potential cause for the occurrence of itchyfeet and hands is allergy. When a person is allergic to certain foods ormedicines and he/she consumes them, the body reacts to the allergen. One ofthe manifestations of the allergy is itchy feet and hands. This itching can bemild or a severe rash may appear. Furthermore, many people are allergic to many skinproducts, such as soaps, creams, perfumes and moisturizers, as well as clothmaterials and metals. When one uses these products, itchy feet and hands appearusually accompanied by red spots, blisters, rashes and pain.There are two types of dermatitis that areresponsible for the itchy feet and hands. Contact dermatitis is an allergythat occurs due to the contact with certain materials, such as nickel or rubberchemicals. On the other side, atopic dermatitis refers to the skin irritationdue to the skin exposure to a possible allergen.Furthermore, itchy feet and hands may be caused by the skin disorder calledpsoriasis. In this condition, the skin cells rapidly grow due to weakenedimmune system.Itching in the hands and feet may also be caused because of pitted keratolysis, eczema, athlete’s foot and scabies, as well as vitamindeficiency.