# Why do I itch when I start perspiring?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-itch-when-i-start-perspiring/405192>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 23, 2007, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-itch-when-i-start-perspiring/405192 "2007-05-23T07:21:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-itch-when-i-start-perspiring/405192/1 "2007-05-23T07:21:40Z")

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Whenever I go to the gym, I get incredibly itchy about 5 minutes into my workout (just as I begin to noticeably perspire). The sensation lasts for a grueling 3-5 minutes, before it mercifully vanishes.

Any idea why this might be happening? Is there anything I can do to reduce the itchiness?

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**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-itch-when-i-start-perspiring/405192/2 "2007-05-23T11:18:41Z")

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What kind of soap do you usually use? It could well be your sweat interacting with the residue of soap still left on your skin. For that matter it could well be a skin bacteria interacting with the sweat. It also could be the sweat interacting with the chemicals left on your body by your community’s water.

My initial suggestion would be to change your body soap. Go to a body wash, soft soap or if you are using a mild soap go to a harsher soap. Finally get a filter on your shower water.

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**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-itch-when-i-start-perspiring/405192/3 "2007-05-23T12:44:37Z")

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[QUOTE=Red Barchetta]  
Whenever I go to the gym, I get incredibly itchy about 5 minutes into my workout (just as I begin to noticeably perspire). The sensation lasts for a grueling 3-5 minutes, before it mercifully vanishes.

Any idea why this might be happening? Is there anything I can do to reduce the itchiness?  
[/QUOTE]

Use a loofa (sp?) sponge. Your skin is too dry, you need to exfoliate pal. At least that is what worked for me when I told my trainer that a few years ago…My skin was very dry, and I was only using bar soap with out taking the dead skin off my body it was basically useless. And only drying me out more. When you sweat the dry skin separates a little from you healthy skin and that causes the itch.

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**Author:** ![Improvisor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-itch-when-i-start-perspiring/405192/4 "2007-05-23T15:56:46Z")

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A bit of an aside… but I was just reading this in this month’s Scientific American.

[Why and how do body parts itch?](http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?chanID=sa005&articleID=810D8657-E7F2-99DF-34895A9350119C01&topicID=12)