Have you ever had a poisonous ivy? If so, you probably noticed that the scratching made the rash much worse. However, when scratching the itch, it is particularly appealing and very satisfying, as intense as the one caused by the poisonous ivy.
If you think about it, say Daniel Kaplana dermatologist and immunologist at the University of Pittsburgh, is a bit curious. Comparing this effect with pain, the pain stops what you’re doing and causes a tendency to hurt. But pain also creates memories that tell you to not repeat what you were doing when you were injured. Alternatively, wear gloves the next time you prune the roses.
“From an evolutionary perspective, that pain has a clear and obvious advantage,” he says. However, when you scratch it, the damage feels good. When you cut yourself with a knife, you were immediately forced to grab the knife and do it again. What is the advantage?
This is because Kaplan’s evolution and scratching are observed throughout evolution, which means dog scratching, cat scratching, fish scratching, and more. Of course, scratching helps remove mites and other irritants from the skin, but that doesn’t explain why we hurt the rash.
read more: Your skin can become dry, cracked and damaged in the winter – why
Why does scratching worsen the rash?
To solve this mystery, Kaplan and his team began by examining why snacks make the rash worse. Their the study It was released in January this year Science.
The answer includes mast cells. Mast cells are activated by allergens (for example, toxic ivy), causing inflammation and itching. Researchers show that the scratch activates pain-sensing neurons and releases material P (a neurotransmitter involved in pain signaling and inflammation), which activates mast cells via a second pathway. Therefore, by activating mast cells through two different pathways, scratching causes even more inflammation. I started to get itchy after inflammation. And that’s why scratching makes it worse.
The advantages of scratching
So Kaplan and his team discovered how the scratching can make the rash worse. But what are the advantages of all these? So far, it’s as if scratch = bad. The case has been closed. But it’s not that fast.
Mast cells also play a role in protecting the skin from harmful bacteria. Certainly, the team found that the presence of scratching decreases Staphylococcus aureus On the skin. Staphylococcus aureus It is the most common culprit that causes skin infections.
Whether to scratch it?
So, what is the takeaway here? Should you scratch it? Kaplan says it is a question people always ask him. According to him, the answer is simple: “Don’t hurt,” because bacterial infections are rare. The bigger risk is an allergic reaction that is causing itching, he says. Scratches will make your rash worse and your life will become even more miserable.
Christopher Brooks I agree and add that scratching the skin barrier can destroy the skin barrier and worsen the condition, such as eczema or psoriasis. Brooks is an allergy and immunologist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. However, he emphasizes that these findings help us explain itching, but that we should still try to try as little as possible. Avoiding scratching does not increase the chances of contracting a skin infection.
Kaplan hopes that the study, supported by the National Institutes of Health and the German Research Foundation, will lead to better treatment for eczema.
“I think there’s a pretty good reason [previous] Tests that they had silenced the wrong pathways of mast cells failed. “Kaplan added that his experiment was performed on mice (a small, adorable mouse). Elizabethan Ruffsless) And it hasn’t been done in humans yet.
read more: For some reason, does it feel so good to get the itch?
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Our Author discovermagazine.com Our articles use peer-reviewed research and high-quality sources, and editors review scientific accuracy and editing criteria. Check out the sources used below in this article.
Avery Hart is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she regularly writes about a variety of outlets, both printed and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She is the author of Bullet who has your name. What You Probably Die, and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, and some books for younger readers. While attending university, Avery started out in journalism, writing for the school’s newspapers and editing student non-fiction magazines. Although she writes about all fields of science, she is particularly interested in AI-interests that developed while earning degrees in neuroscience, science of consciousness, and philosophy.
