WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� You鈥檝e likely heard it since childhood: Don鈥檛 scratch that bug bite or rash, you鈥檒l make it worse. But why would something that feels so good be bad?
A lot of things can cause itchiness, . Whatever the cause, doctors have long warned that scratching too much can damage . Now researchers better understand why even a mildly annoying itch could put you on an itch-and-scratch cycle if you give in.
How did they find out? In part by putting tiny 鈥渃ones of shame鈥� onto mice to uncover what happens when an itch gets scratched 鈥� or left alone.
They also gained insight into why a good scratch at least at first brings a sigh of relief. After all, not just people and other mammals scratch, even fish do. The commonality suggests there must be some evolutionary reason and the mouse experiment hints at a little germ protection 鈥� but still not a reason to scratch.
Expect a more swollen, itchier spot if you can’t ignore that bug bite
Dr. Daniel Kaplan, a University of Pittsburgh dermatologist whose lab studies immune reactions in skin, was exploring a run-of-the-mill type of itch called allergic contact dermatitis, caused by irritants such as poison ivy or nickel in jewelry.
Kaplan’s research team put a rash-inducing irritant on the ears of mice. Normal mice scratched and inflammatory immune cells rushed to the site, increasing swelling. The rash was much milder in mice bred with defective itch-sensing nerve cells. But was the difference really the scratching?
Normal mice put into collars like those veterinary 鈥渃ones of shame鈥� so they itched but couldn’t scratch gave the answer: They, too, had much less swelling and fewer inflammatory cells.
Kaplan said that evidence matches people鈥檚 everyday experiences that scratching really can make things worse.
Ignore a mosquito bite and the itch is 鈥済one in five or 10 minutes for most people,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if you start scratching it, it鈥檚 your friend for a week,鈥� getting itchier and more inflamed.
The immune system鈥檚 first responders can help 鈥� and hurt
To understand what was happening in the skin, Kaplan鈥檚 team took a deeper look at mast cells, among first responders. When called into action, they release compounds that can help fight germs or toxins 鈥� or, through a compound called histamine, trigger itchy allergic reactions.
Scientists have long known that allergens can activate mast cells. But other signals can summon mast cells, too, including pain. And when we scratch, 鈥渨e tend to scratch until it starts to hurt,鈥� Kaplan noted.
Pain-sensing nerve cells release a chemical messenger called substance P. In findings published last year, Kaplan鈥檚 team reported that substance P can activate mast cells through a different molecular pathway than allergens do 鈥� a double whammy that explains why scratching further inflames itchy rashes or bites.
Then why does a little scratching feel good?
If we experience pain like touching a hot stove, we鈥檒l learn not to do that again. Yet relief from a good scratch, in evolutionary terms, is positive feedback. Why?
One long-held theory is that it may help creatures slough off parasites like fleas or mites. But Kaplan also was intrigued by other labs鈥� findings that mast cells could fend off a common type of skin bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus. So his team infected mice and then repeated the cone-of-shame itch experiment. Sure enough, those that scratched had lower levels of that germ on their ears, maybe because of the extra inflammation or some other mast cell-related compound.
But that’s not enough of an upside to change the health advice.
鈥淯ltimately, scratching is deleterious,鈥� Kaplan stressed. 鈥淵ou should avoid scratching,鈥� he said, although acknowledging that it鈥檚 鈥渆asier said than done.鈥�
Here鈥檚 how to handle a minor itch
What fights an itch depends on its cause and there’s a need for better treatments. For now, antihistamines and certain other drugs for hives can tamp down some itchiness triggered by mast cells. Drug companies are experimenting with other approaches called MRGPRX2 blockers that target the pathway Kaplan鈥檚 team linked to scratching. Kaplan hopes better understanding of that pathway eventually could help skin diseases such as chronic eczema.
For the summer itchiness of bug bites, poison ivy and other types of contact dermatitis, dermatologists recommend anti-itch balms such as hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion or oatmeal baths.
Another trick from Kaplan: Menthol-containing creams can temporarily fool the skin into sensing cold instead of itch, just long enough that 鈥渋f you don鈥檛 scratch, then you break that itch-scratch cycle,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a cheat code.鈥�
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