Dermographism is a skin condition that many people are not aware of. However, it is actually the most common form of urticaria. For those of you that are not familiar with such terms, urticaria describes a type of skin disorder that results in weals and red patches that appear on the skin. Both children and adults alike can suffer from this condition.

For most people, applying pressure onto their skin using their fingertip or fingernail and stroking the skin results in a white line that gradually becomes red and swells. Many children have done this to their skin as an act of curiosity. But for those that have dermographism, this action can lead to severe swelling and redness of the skin. These exaggerated symptoms are characteristics of dermographism and only occur in about 5% of the population.

There are different degrees of symptoms that a person with this condition may experience depending on their situation. Some people will notice their dermographism appear after getting out of a hot bath or shower, while others will develop their weals after scratching their skin for a prolonged period of time. Even toweling off too roughly after showering or bathing can result in reddened skin with weals. Physically active individuals with dermographism may notice their condition worsen after participating in contact sports such as boxing, rugby or wrestling, which involves excessive pressure on the skin.

There are a number of reasons why a person may end up with dermographism. Medical studies have found that a majority of those suffering from this skin condition tend to have allergies to outside sources including penicillin, worms (infestation) or scabies. Some people have higher levels of histamine and other chemical mediators in their skin, which results in dermographism. Others with this condition carry a certain antibody in the serum of their skin that contributes to the symptoms.

In terms of treatment, there are a couple of different ways dermographism can be handled. In order to get the best results it is important to monitor your case and find out which situations appear to trigger your outbreaks. Knowing this information can make it easier to decide which course of treatment would be the most effective. If your symptoms become worse after taking a shower or bath then make it a habit to avoid showering or bathing in hot water and switch to lukewarm instead. Antihistamines are currently one of the most common forms of treatment, which is used to combat the patient’s existing histamine levels to create a balance. More severe cases that do not go away within a timely period may find phototherapy a viable solution.

In most cases, the dermographism goes away on its own, usually within one or two years.

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