How to Stop Itchy Feet at Night [Feet & Hands, After a Shower & More]

What are my feet so itchy?

Itching can involve any part of the body, but feet are most susceptible as the skin of feet is thick and devoid of oil-secreting glands.

• Itchiness is triggered by dryness and irritation
• Foot-wears that cause excess sweat and moisture
• Exposure to stress such as weight-bearing of the whole body
• Direct contact with irritants when walking barefoot
• Extremes of temperature
• Infections by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites

What are the causes of itchy feet?

SKIN CONDITIONS:

Dry skin:

• The skin of the Feet is thick and devoid of oil-producing glands. Hence it is more prone to becoming dry.
• Risk factors for developing dry skin include:
  • Old Age
  • Extremes of temperature
  • Excessive contact with water( frequently washing hands and foot or taking a shower)
  • Swimming in chlorinated water.
• When skin becomes dry due to any of the above factors, it causes irritation and itching. Scratches break the natural barrier of skin against harmful organisms, making it easy for bacteria, viruses, or fungus to invade the skin and cause infections.
• The best treatment for this cause is to moisturize the feet regularly with lotions, creams, or alcohol-free oil and avoid factors that cause dryness or loss of skin moisture.

Injury:

Feet are prone to injuries. In response to injury, the tissue starts healing. When the skin cells and nerve endings began to repair, these nerve endings may trigger itchiness around or on the scab or wound.

Irritants/ Contact dermatitis:

• Any foreign substance that comes in contact with the human body produces a reaction in the body leading to rash, hives, burning, stinging, itching or irritation. It forms red itchy, or blistering rashes.
• Irritants can be medicines such as statins, ACE inhibitors, morphine, neomycin, etc., or chemicals such as adhesive glues, tapes, perfumes, poison ivy.
• To find which specific allergen is the cause, a patch test can be done.
• It is treated by avoiding allergens, creams, and lotion to soothe the skin, antihistamines, and steroids.

Psoriasis:

• In psoriasis, the body’s immune system starts attacking its own cell, which results in an increased cellular turn over causing scaling and redness all over the body, mostly on extensor surfaces. It can also include feet and toes.
• It Is excruciating and causes itching and scaling. Patches of red skin, bumps, and scales are present. Joints can also become swollen and stiff.
• It is treated topically with creams or lotions containing tar, salicylic acid, or steroids.

Eczema or Atopic dermatitis:

• Eczema can occur anywhere on the body, but Dyshidrotic dermatitis appears on the tip & sides of toes and fingers & soles of the feet.
• It is characterized by the presence of red, scaly, or cracked skin and clear blister formation.
• The cause of eczema is still unknown, but genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role. Females are twice affected as men.
• It is characterized by the formation of red scaly patches and itchy blisters. It may be triggered by:
  • Dry skin
  • Excess sweat
  • Excess heat
  • Loss of Humidity
• Applying a cold compress can soothe the skin. If it worsens, the doctor may prescribe topical medications to prevent dryness and promote skin hydration. Steroids are also a treatment option.

Athlete’s foot:

• Candida or molds mostly cause a fungal infection of the foot.
• It occurs due to excess sweating. The fungus survives in the moisture, warmth, and dark environment between the toes.
• It can cause scaly rash, itching, burning, and stinging sensation on feet and between the toes.
• Anti-fungal medications that may be topical or systemic are used to treat this condition.

Insect bites and Parasites:

• Due to insect bites (such as scabies), parasite infestation (hookworm while walking barefoot on the ground), or a mosquito bite, etc., may cause redness, bumps, and itching.
• In scabies, itch mite called Sarcoptes Scabiei gets into the top layer of skin and forms pits and burrows into the skin, laying eggs. It can spread through skin-to-skin contact.
• It causes intense itching, especially at night on the forearm, elbows, armpits, umbilicus, around genitals, and webbing between fingers. Children experience a rash on the head, face, neck, palms, and soles of the foot.

Chilblains :

• When the weather is cold, wet, and chilly, blood vessels in the extremities constrict to avoid heat loss from the body. But if feet are quickly warmed, the permeability of blood vessels increases, and blood leaks into the tissue causing chilblains.
• It causes itching, redness, and swelling.
• It is usually treated with calamine lotion.

Sunburn:

• In summers, foot-wears are usually open, or people go barefoot out in the sun. This increases the exposure of skin to the sun. Furthermore, while using sunscreen, feet are neglected most of the time, further increasing the risk.
• Excessive exposure to the sun may lead to sunburns characterized by redness, irritation, and itching.
• The treatment includes reduced exposure to skin, sunscreen application before going out in the sun, and calamine lotion to relieve itchiness.

Burns:

• Burns can cause severe damage to the affected body part. Once the skin starts repairing and even after healing, itchiness can occur.

SYSTEMIC CONDITIONS:

Liver disease:

• Any liver disease that obstructs bile flow ( cholestasis) or liver failure can cause accumulation of bile in the body, which causes itchiness.
• It is treated with cholestyramine or Calamine lotion.

Kidney diseases:

• In chronic kidney diseases, such as kidney failure or end-stage-renal-disease, toxins, mainly urea, accumulate in the body instead of getting removed in the urine. These toxins accumulated in the human body cause intense itching.

Or

• When uncontrolled diabetes disturbs kidney function, called Diabetic nephropathy causing itching, fatigue, swelling in the eyes, hands, ankles, & feet, and difficulty regulating blood pressure.

Thyroid disorders:

• Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, and Graves’ disease can cause dryness of the skin and may cause itching and scaling over the body.

Nerve disorders:

• In diabetes, high blood sugar levels impair the function of blood vessels (peripheral artery disease), including those that supply vital nutrients to nerves. This leads to nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy.
• It causes tingling, numbness, burning, or itchiness of extremities.
• Other nerve disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, shingles, can cause itchiness over hands and feet.
• Treatment includes modifying lifestyle and diet to control blood sugar levels and seek help from a doctor.

Hormonal fluctuations:

• Estrogen helps the body to retain its natural moisture and starts to decline during menopause and peri-menopause
• This causes dryness, itching, bumps, or rashes on the skin.
• Hormonal changes during menopause can cause a range of skin complaints, including hot flashes, sweating, and itchiness.

Pruritis Gravidarum:

• Obstruction to bile flow from the liver during pregnancy is called Pruritis Gravidarum.
• It causes stasis of bile salts in the body which is responsible for itchy palms and feet.

Mental disorders:

• In anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, or other mental illnesses patient feels the urge to scratch skin

Malignancies/Cancers:

• Leukemias, lymphomas, gall bladder cancer, and liver cancer may cause an itching sensation

Why do my feet itch at night?

In medical terms, Itching at night is called nocturnal Pruritis. It may be due to a natural cause or a severe medical condition that can be severe enough to disturb sleep.

Natural causes:

Certain people feel itchy at night due to some natural causes, which may be:

1-Temperature regulation: Body’s temperature and blood flow increase in the evening, warming the skin, which may cause itchiness

2-Chemical substances: inflammatory substances such as cytokines which are proteins and regulate the inflammatory response, are released more at night, which cause itching

3-Hormonal fluctuations: At night, the production of corticosteroids that reduce inflammation can cause itching.

4-Dryness: Water loss through skin increase at night during winters, which causes itching

5-Pregnancy: itching during pregnancy occurs due to obstruction to bile flow; bile salts accumulate in the body, which worsens at night, causing itchiness

Medical causes:

1-Contact with allergens: Some people are allergic to certain chemicals, food, soaps, fragrances, etc., which may cause itching.

2-Systemic disorders: involving liver, kidney, or thyroid.

3-Diabetic nephropathy.

4-Insect bites such as scabies, the bed bug, etc

Why are my feet Itchy After Shower?

Dry skin:

• The medical term for this condition is called Xerosis cutis. Exposing skin to hot water for a long time depletes the moisture leading to dryness.
• Feet are more prone to itchiness as they already are devoid of natural oil-secreting glands.
• Treatment includes:
  • limiting exposure to water by reducing shower duration and frequency
  • Use lukewarm water for bathing.
  • Use essential oil( peppermint, lavender, chamomile, tea-tree, etc.)diluted in carrier oils (almond oil) in the bathing water to prevent dryness.
  • Pat dry the skin after taking a bath.
  • Avoid using a towel as it strips off the skin moisture.
  • Moisturize the skin when it is slightly wet as it will lock the moisture into the skin. Use a hypoallergenic .moisturizer

Harsh soaps:

• If the soap contains harsh chemicals that deplete the skin of moisture, or if some soap residue is left on the skin or when the skin is sensitive to certain chemicals contained in the soap may cause rash and itching
• Treatment includes:
  • Use hypoallergenic soap that comes with moisturizing properties
  • If itching occurs, use cooling agents such as menthol or calamine lotion
  • Anti-itch creams such as pramoxine which is an anesthetic and helps relieve itching

Aquagenic pruritis:

• A rare medical condition in which exposure to water activates the body’s sensory system, causing intense itching, stinging, or burning without any visible skin manifestations.
• Symptoms began immediately on coming in contact with water and may last for a few hours.

How to diagnose itchy feet?

Itching is diagnosed by examining the skin. The doctor may examine it under dermatoscopy, skin scrape may be ordered, or skin culture and biopsy might be done to find the causative factor. Blood tests are also done to rule out infectious causes.