This may sound kind of odd, but…every once in a while, for no reason whatsoever, my entire upper body breaks out in an inch all over my back, face, arms…do I have something? Is it an allergy? So far I’ve come up with no specific conditions that I get them.
Speaking of which, what are itches? What causes them?
Itches can be caused by lots of things, from a histamine reaction from your body (poision ivy, bug bites, allergies) to having something being stuck to your skin (paint, dirt, other sticky substances), to the healing itch that accompanies mending bones and scabs.
And then you can get random itches, much like the spontaneous erections males get in their early teens - no good reason the body just starts shooting off nerves.
When your skin is irritated, it lets your brain know and you get an itch. The healing itch is a bit more mysterious to me, probably just nerve overload or something to that effect. Not the whole story, but it’s a start.
I get that all over itching when I’m about to start sweating,
but haven’t quite got all the way there yet. Once the sweat
starts to roll, I’m fine.
I had a similar problem a couple of weeks ago.
I tried antihistamines with limited success.
I then thought of the arthritis meds I’m taking. After calling the drs’ office I quit taking them. Success. But I wasn’t sure that was causing it. Sooo I went back on them. No itch.
I dunno.
One of the symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes is itching.
On the other hand, you could just be allergic to laundry products, like the detergent, fabric softener, or starch/sizing.
Lay off the booze, all right?
Like bubba jr it sounds very similar to what I feel like when I just start sweating.
Always try the easiest solution first. As Lynn pointed out it’s probably the laundry products.
First, get rid of the fabric softener and/or use a detergent w/o a fabric softener (some have it in them). Second, make sure the clothes are rinsed well. Many people use too much detergent and it doesn’t rinse out well. Run the clothes through a full wash cycle w/o any detergent. See if that helps.
Sweating exacerbates the problem because it dissolves the detergent or fabric softener that is left in the clothes and causes irritation. The same situation can lead to jock itch.
Based on your description there’s probably a 90% chance that this can easily solve the problem.
Not every symptom has a disease. But try the above advice.
A friend of mine (no, really) had this problem occasionally. After careful consideration, process of elimination, and trial and error, he decided he is apparently allergic to lentils.
Hasn’t eaten 'em since, hasn’t had the itching since.
Also, check 100% of your skin to see if a tick has attached to you…
How often is “every once in a while”? If this happens once or twice a month, I’d blame it on an allergy or some annoying-but-harmless cause. But if if this is happening every day, and is annoyingly intense (say you need to soak in water or break out the serated cutlery to quell the itch, it keeps you awake at night), it could be trouble. In that case, see a doctor.
Is it just an itch, or is it an itch paired with reddening, swelling, or other skin rash-type reactions?
Usually my seemingly all-over itching is caused by dry skin. Put on some lotion and boom! Problem solved.
Do you by any chance ever take niacin tablets?
I’m kinda interested in the possible answers myself. I sometimes (lets say, every few days) get a raised welt-itch along my back right down to my bum, and sometimes on my stomach. It’s always when I’m in bed trying to sleep. I figure it’s mites (I’m allergic to practically every protein-based allergent except for beef 
)
I don’t want to go to a doctor because…well…there’s nothing on my body during the day. I have no marks, and no itch. I figure it’s something on the bed but even with a sleeping bag lining, I still get it. Do they sell “bed cleaner”? Maybe spray alcohol or something on my bed? Damn annoying waking up every other day to itch.
How often do you wash your clothes or bedsheets? Maybe they need to be washed more frequently.
Every week (if that question was to me The Controvert).
It’s weird because everything was fine up until about a year ago. Then my skin started to get the itch.
I haven’t had any ‘outbreaks’ recently so maybe it is my sheets. Maybe I should nuke my bed
Hey yeah, that’ll fix it.