Tips For Complaints Itching

You need to know that anatomically, the skin has several layers, especially the body fat layer, where for young people, this body fat layer is quite thick. However, as we get older, this layer of body fat becomes thinner. We can test this by making movements such as pinching the skin, the younger the skin that is 'pinched' it looks thicker, but this is not the case in elderly people where the skin that is 'pinched' is very thin.

This fat layer (the medical term is called adipose layer) has the function of maintaining body temperature and skin moisture. Well, elderly people are the ones who are most susceptible to experiencing itching on part or all of their body due to decreased skin moisture and it easily becomes dry and a small percentage experience skin that seems to crack/break due to dryness, this kind of situation is medically called Dry Skin. .

So complaints of itching in the elderly will be experienced continuously and cannot be completely cured, but the itching can be relieved. Moreover, the itching can be made worse by comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, and others.

Environmental factors also have an impact on exacerbating complaints of itching, such as using AC (Air Conditioner) which causes the skin to become dry. Bathing in warm water also aggravates itching complaints so it is best to avoid taking warm water baths and just bathing in normal water.

Tips to Reduce Itching

To overcome or reduce the itching that occurs due to dry skin in older people, there are several tips you can do, including:

1. Using skin moisturizing products (moisturizing), starting from soap containing skin moisturizing substances, bath oil, oil with a special dose mixed into a water container for bathing and dissolved in water, this method is more effective because it hits/reaches the entire surface body skin), skin moisturizing liquid used after bathing (can be found in shops that sell body care products).
2. Avoid bathing in warm water
3. Don't use powder because quite a few powder products contain the substance Salicyl which actually has an added itchy effect.
4. Don't use the AC for too long throughout the day, just do it while sleeping and set it to room temperature. There are also those who suggest providing wet towels in the bedroom because the AC pulls water from our bodies and the room.
5. Do not use soap that contains sulfur or antiseptics, because the properties of these two chemicals can dry out the surface of the skin.
6. Increase your intake of vegetables and fruit to add nutrients to support skin moisture.
7. Take anti-itch medication if the itching is very bothersome.

If the complaint still persists, immediately consult a doctor at a health facility to get an examination and therapy according to the symptoms and other causes. Or online consultations via telemedicine with general practitioners or dermatologists anytime and anywhere.