When you have dermatographia life can be pretty tough. That first moment when you realize that it’s more than an itch. The first time you rip off all your clothes because you can’t stop scratching yourself. The embarrassment of not knowing what’s wrong with you, and not knowing what the treatment options are.

Some people call is skin writing and other people mistake early symptoms for a severe allergic reaction or other acute issue. The reality is for me and thousands of others around the world, dermatographia is a long-term issue that you must learn to live with. That is why for the first time in 20 years I did something about it. I wrote a book about everything I have learned about living with my itchy skin.

Many people confuse dermatographia with hives, swelling, or even chronic urticaria. Part of the problem is not knowing to answer the following questions:

• Do I have dermatographia?
• What caused my condition?
• Are these hives and swelling permanent?
• How can I treat or prevent symptoms?
• Is there a cure?

That’s why I created this website. Over the years I have heard from thousands of people around the world who want to know the answers to questions like, “What causes my dermatographia?” or “Is my condition permanent or can it be cured?”.

For each one of us with skin problems, there is an answer. And after time you too will learn how to manage and cope with your situation. Hopefully you can find some inspiration through reading stories from other people with chronic urticaria and connecting with our many communities online.

My Dermatographia Story

I first started noticing signs of dermatographia almost 20 years ago. I was going for a jog on a cold winter morning and noticed that my head was starting to itch. I took off my hat that I was wearing and held it in my hands as I continued running. I thought that would fix it. Instead I notice my lower back was itchy. I started feeling welts down my arms and on my shoulders. That’s when I knew something was wrong.

The day I found out I had dermatographia was the day I felt most alone. Since that moment, and with each passing day, I have found others like me. From doing searches online, to browsing social media, it’s clear there are thousands of others around the world just like me.

Causes and Symptoms I Found

I have done hundreds of hours of research into what causes dermatographia. If there is an article or blog post on line, chances are that I have read it. And the sad part is that most of the people writing about dermatographia has never experienced it before. That is where I am different.

That was all the motivation I needed to learn about my causes, and talk to others about their condition. Over time I learned that in the middle of difficult times I could still find instant relief with things like cold packs and Solarcaine.

The consensus from most people seems to be that it is caused by a combination of genetics, poor diet, stress, and your environment. Some say that it is completely caused by a virus. Others believe that it is brought on by a chronic issue with your immune system or some type of acute traumatic event that your body could not respond to you.

I know what causes my dermatographia, because I have experienced it first hand. I have scratched my skin without thinking, only to find myself feeling what almost could be described as torture. Almost as if you were constantly getting stung by an insect or that you feel in poison ivy.

Natural Treatments That Worked

There are many different treatment options for dermatographia. There are websites, experts, and natural remedies that people claim work. For me personally I did not want to resort to strong prescription drugs to treat my condition.

I will tell you that my belief and personal experience has not been with drugs but finding holistic and sustainable food, medicine, lotions, and habits. That includes things like Aloe Vera soothing lotion.

One thing is certain if you have dermatographia, there is hope for a better tomorrow. There also may be those people reading this who are in incredible pain right now. Please read on for more practical advice and medical solutions ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.

Once you get past the instant pain, you can start to look more towards the future. For me, I found that a combination of genetics, too many acid foods in my diet, clothing, and stress were my primary issues. So naturally, understanding my genetics came first. After that, I worked to find dietary options and clothing that I found lessened my symptoms and pain. And finally, working to reduce my overall stress continued to reduce outbreaks and severe reactions.

If you are battling inflammation, hives, or swelling right now, I’ve been there. I have had an itchy back so bad I want to claw my skin off. I have had arms that I repeated scratched until I had raised welts so bad they took hours to go away.

If you look across the internet, you can see hundreds of stories of people who have found ways to improve their symptoms with simple treatment options. Many people have tried many different things to find a cure. And many of them have reported improving better quality of life, lessening their symptoms, or even completely reversing dermatographia altogether.

Impact of Diet on Inflammation

I have found that one of the most powerful tools to combat dermatographia is your diet. What you eat can have a major effect on how your body responds to inflammation. And the reality is that we are constantly eating food and drinking things that can either make our symptoms better or worse. That is why I focused on cleaning my body of any toxins right away with a juice cleanse. These types of diets worked really well for me and there were moments where I almost forgot about my symptoms.

The most frustrating years I had with dermatographia are the years that I ate and drank anything that I wanted. There were moments where I was so depressed because I would eat a meal and then find myself itching my body for hours and hours afterwards. I would almost cry at times out of hopelessness until I grabbed a cold pack to stop the swelling.

I am not saying that your diet can cure your dermatographia. But what I am saying, is that for most people, diet does have an effect on either increasing or decreasing their dermatographia. And once I started trying different things with my diet, I started feeling more hope.

Stress As a Cause of Hives

You will definitely notice more issues with dermatographia when you are stressed. When the body is under a tremendous amount of stress, it response by releasing cortisol and other chemicals. Much like my experimentation with my diet, I have experimented with different types of stress management techniques.

One thing I discovered is a stress management app that will allow you to better understand and manage your stress. It’s incredibly powerful and will show you when you are stress and guide you into calm meditations. By immersing yourself in soothing situations, you can reduce the urge to itch and scratch during flare ups. Be sure to have a few cold ice packs handy to calm the swelling. I also love using stress balls as a way to divert my intention from itching.

The worst my dermatographia has ever been, was at a time when my diet was horrible, my stress was high, and I had never researched dermatographia or skin conditions. In life, knowledge is generally power. And in the case of your skin, understanding how your respond to stress can make all the difference.

Everyone’s skin responds to stress differently. Some people can be incredibly stressed and show less physical symptoms than others. I know some with dermatographia that get flare ups within minutes of being introduced into a stressful situation.

Since dermatographia is by nature and immune system response, it makes sense that when your body senses attack a.k.a. stress it will respond with increased inflammation.

Hope for Dermatographia Sufferers

For those of us who suffer with dermatographia, we know it’s name well. For others who do not have the disease, they may already be familiar with skin writing. It gives me great joy to see people around the world taking pictures of their skin and sharing them with others.

My hope is that we can all come together as a community to better understand these conditions. That way we can get on living our lives. Dermatographia may not be cancer, but that does not mean we shouldn’t take it seriously and focus on looking for a cure. For each person that cure may be different.

Pictures of dermatographia are more common today than ever before. You can find them on Pinterest, Facebook, or even on YouTube videos. That is why it is so important to share pictures of your dermatographia. If for no other reason, then to spread awareness of the problems that many of us face each and every day.

Many dermatographia sufferers want to know more about their condition, the right ways to treat it, and if there are natural cures available. That is why our team decided to write a book, available now on Amazon for only $9. All the money from the book goes to support this website which provides inspiration and hope to thousands of people with dermatographia around the world. Please consider buying it.

My $9 Dermatographia Guide — Now on Amazon!

Thank you for stopping by and please share any feedback you might have by using our contact form. Do you have dermatographia? I would love to hear from you.