Winter itch is described the condition in which there is severely chapped skin that becomes cracked, fissured and inflamed. The disorder is not contagious and most common in winter. It appears anywhere on the body, but most commonly on the legs.
Causes of Winter Itch
Winter itch is due to the insufficient oil on the skin’s surface. This allows evaporation of water through the skin. Skin cells shrink and cells begin to separate, causing cracks and fissures. Other causes are decrease oil in the skin with aging, and excessive bathing and rubbing of the skin.
Signs and Symptoms of Winter Itch
Lesions develop on the skin from winter itch. They typically have the following varcharacteristics: lesions are round plaques (flat-topped patches), 2cm to 5cm in diameter, plaques are sometimes piled like flat discs on top of each other, they usually have very definite borders, plaques itch, burn and sting, redness is most pronounced within the cracks and fissures which crisscross the plaque surface, and the plaques usually don’t weep or become crusty.
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Medical Content Last Updated on 07/12/2008
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