• Question: what is an itch and how do they happen?

    Asked by th3sw33n3y to Alastair, Emma, Hywel, Keith, Vicki on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Alastair Sloan

      Alastair Sloan answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      an itch is when the skin is irritated by a stimulus. It causes nerves to fire rapidly. There are actually many different mechanisms leading to an itch sensation, but in all cases receptors in the skin cause nerves to fire.

    • Photo: Keith Brain

      Keith Brain answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Itch is the least well understood of all the skin sensations. Our skin contains several different types of sensory nerves – nerves that are able to detect local changes in temperature, chemicals, movement or vibration. Sometimes (as it rash) some of these nerve fibres can be locally activated, probably by some local chemical stimulus, to give us the sensation of itch.

    • Photo: Hywel Vaughan

      Hywel Vaughan answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Itches can also be caused by certain conditions, such as eczema or dermatitis. These can be a genetic condition rather than based on your environment or a reaction (your skin has become irritated, and the skin itself starts the itch). Here the skin becomes irritated, and itching is your body’s in built defence mechanism that alerts your body to the potential of being harmed – in this was it is just like tickling. 🙂

    • Photo: Vicki Stevenson

      Vicki Stevenson answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Hi – we have itch receptors in the top 2 skin layers. Itching can be caused by heat/cold, electricity, touch or chemicals.

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