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Reply 20
Original post by Anonymous
It could be a circulation problem, standing still for 20 minutes or so in the shower often makes my legs itchy because of a lack of circulation whilst standing still. If you think it could be this, just try moving your feet and legs a bit more in the shower.


Itching legs or extremities can also be an indicator of more serious conditions like circulatory issues, diabetes, even heart problems - it would be worth going to get a basic medical checkup at your local GP practise, ask them for a diabetes test (they generally do those routinely) and mention the difficulty you are having. Not saying it is any of those, because we don't know enough about your general health, medical history and lifestyle.

Are you overweight OP?
You could try eurax or e45 itch relief cream after getting out to stop the itching.

Consider taking an antihistamine a while before showering and see if it makes a difference... if it does its probably an allergy to something... then you can find out what.
Reply 22
Water allergy. My friend has it and she has to immediately dry herself or else she is in agony

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I've had this for as long as I can remember. I used to get excused from swimming at school because of it.

I know you said you're male, but here's a question for you: Do you shave your legs?

I'm female and I found that the itching was worse in the winter months when I shaved my legs less and got fine hairs on my legs - they tickle the skin when they've just been washed/dried.

The itching lessens when I shave my legs using hypoallergenic shower gel (no foam) in room temp water (not hot, this seems to make it worse), then wash off with COLD water and dry thoroughly immediately and put on a tiny bit of baby oil afterwards. That helps me.

Obviously, since you're a guy you might not want to shave your legs but if it's driving you insane, this might be worth a try.
I understand 100% your pain.

This happened to me ONCE and it was one of the most stressful things that has ever happened to me. It even made me miss a lesson in college like you said. Its pure mental torture, If it were to happen to me everyday I think I would be in a mental hospital by the end of the week.

I don't know how I can help you...

...E45?
Aquagenic pruritus is a skin condition characterized by the development of severe, intense, prickling-like epidermal itching without observable skin lesions and evoked by contact with water.

That's what I've found out as I have the exact problem you are talking about, I this this is it!
Did you get any answers ? My 16 year old son is also totally miserable for an hour after showering with intense itch...
HI - did you ever figure this out? The same thing just all of a sudden started happening to my daughter. When it started, everything was the same so we could rule out all soaps, shampoos, water, etc. She moved to another country and it stayed the same. It really breaks my heart to see her suffer in agony for about 30 minutes after a shower. She has tried not using a towel, using a hair-dryer to dry herself, everything. How are you doing now>
HI - did you ever figure this out? The same thing just all of a sudden started happening to my daughter. When it started, everything was the same so we could rule out all soaps, shampoos, water, etc. She moved to another country and it stayed the same. It really breaks my heart to see her suffer in agony for about 30 minutes after a shower. She has tried not using a towel, using a hair-dryer to dry herself, everything. How are you doing now?
My legs lower legs are going crazy at the moment, so looked this up to see if other people have problems. I'm pretty sure mine are to do with sensitive skin, so I need to thoroughly wash off any soap that has touched me. Give your skin a good rub with water before you get out of the shower. I was in a rush this morning and didn't do this, so now I'm paying for it!
OK so I had this problem and but I have found a SOLUTION that works for me... like other people said it is literally like torture.First though if you are itching don't scratch with your finger nails becuase you will just do damage to your skin and cause more problems for yourself. I found just rubbing my legs with my hands works best.Anyway air drying solved this problem for me. I don't know if i'm allergic to the stuff in a common towel but as soon as I dry myself self with one the itching comes back. The problem with air drying though is that, with gravity and all you end up waiting forever for your legs to dry. Having to just stand around for 10-15 minuets becuase you are naked and wet is a pain. I found a solution to this too though as-well...It seems strange but it works so don't judge. I will swing each leg back and forth 30 times each in a set, one leg at a time. How meany set I have to do depends on the air temperature and humidity that day. Normally though mixing in around 3 sets into my normal routine will get me dry by the time I'm ready to put clothes on. It seems a lot but it doesn't take long at all. Doing this I can be showered and dressed in 15 minuets.
Reply 31
I literally have the exact same thing with my legs after showering.. I am so sick of people trying to tell me to use different soaps or morturizers, as I have tried everything known to man and nothing stops the itchiness. It happens every single time I shower and it is so unbearable that I cannot even finish getting ready until it has gone away. Please let me know if you find any answers that may help :/
Original post by Anonymous
hi TSR,

For the last couple of years I have been experiencing itchyness upon getting out of the shower, particularly on my legs. I have tried using a variety of different soaps, including neutral shower gels with no aromas etc, different ways of applying the soaps from shower buns to plain hands, different water pressures, different temperatures, different ways of drying myself and different lengths of showers.

whatever I have tried, I become very itchy in the leg region for up to 45 minutes after starting to dry myself, to the extent I often end up on the floor in a ball trying to cover as much of my body as I can. I have even been late for school because I have been too preoccupied with my legs to cope with leaving on time, and I can get quite distressed, often crying and feeling angry withmyself. Once I have even made myself bleed trying to itch.

i did think at one point it was a soap, from Lush cosmetics, that triggered it, but this seems a bit unlikely. something else to note, I am 17 right now, so when this started happening, i was developing leg hair. Could it be the issue? has anybody had any experience of this problem? i was thinking of waxing my legs, although this would be quite extreme. Should I seriously consider this?

If anyone could help, i would be very grateful.

(anon or delete please)

Hi there!
I always get red blotchy skin which is itchy when I come out of the shower and the bath, if it helps, I do have my shower incredibly hot, I think itchyness on my legs is due to that.
Take a cold water shower, its less abrasive and your skin keeps some of its oily sheen.
Original post by Lfergus5
I literally have the exact same thing with my legs after showering.. I am so sick of people trying to tell me to use different soaps or morturizers, as I have tried everything known to man and nothing stops the itchiness. It happens every single time I shower and it is so unbearable that I cannot even finish getting ready until it has gone away. Please let me know if you find any answers that may help :/


Original post by jadder1224
Hi there!
I always get red blotchy skin which is itchy when I come out of the shower and the bath, if it helps, I do have my shower incredibly hot, I think itchyness on my legs is due to that.


Original post by Personinsertname
Take a cold water shower, its less abrasive and your skin keeps some of its oily sheen.


In future please check the thread dates, as this thread is 5 years old!
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by RoyalSheepy
In future please check the thread dates, as this thread is 5 years old!

Oh :biggrin:
That's blood pooling in the legs.

I get blood pooling often, particularly after being in a hot shower as I have POTs; a circulatory problem and my legs can become itchy from it. If you haven't already, you should see a doctor and ask about circulation.
Original post by Anonymous
hi TSR,

For the last couple of years I have been experiencing itchyness upon getting out of the shower, particularly on my legs. I have tried using a variety of different soaps, including neutral shower gels with no aromas etc, different ways of applying the soaps from shower buns to plain hands, different water pressures, different temperatures, different ways of drying myself and different lengths of showers.

whatever I have tried, I become very itchy in the leg region for up to 45 minutes after starting to dry myself, to the extent I often end up on the floor in a ball trying to cover as much of my body as I can. I have even been late for school because I have been too preoccupied with my legs to cope with leaving on time, and I can get quite distressed, often crying and feeling angry withmyself. Once I have even made myself bleed trying to itch.

i did think at one point it was a soap, from Lush cosmetics, that triggered it, but this seems a bit unlikely. something else to note, I am 17 right now, so when this started happening, i was developing leg hair. Could it be the issue? has anybody had any experience of this problem? i was thinking of waxing my legs, although this would be quite extreme. Should I seriously consider this?

If anyone could help, i would be very grateful.

(anon or delete please)

Maybe you have cholinergetic urticaria (idk if I spelled that correct) Look it up on the interwebs
Hey, I've gone through the same thing, though not as intense, and it stopped when I moved houses. I think the water is overly chlorinated or some pipe is rusted and letting some sort of mineral salt into the shower water. It could also be remnants of the cleaning detergent used to clean the shower floors; they sting like hell. I would recommend coconut/baby oil before you enter the shower, to give a slight protective coating for your skin. I hope I helped.
Reply 39
This is exactly my predicament at the moment. Its really irritating and gets someone pretty pissed off. I also have to heat up my skin especially my thighs since they are the most itchy. At times I have to use a hair drier to warm myself up. Long before I used to have the problem and I changed the soap into gels then the problem stopped for a good while. I'm still using gels but the problem has reccured again. I'm now starting to wonder if it could be something to do with my diet. I don't take alcohol or eat lots of yeast so I really don't know. This problem is really frustrating.