Sensitive skin is characterized by an excessive response to common endogenous and exogenous factors. On the cover visible irritation, redness, peeling, rashes. Various tingling, pinching, burning, and pain can be subjective sensations. To determine the cause of hypersensitivity of the skin, you should make an appointment with a dermatocosmetologist. Only an experienced specialist will tell you about the proper daily care for such skin, select the necessary salon procedures and cosmetics.
Although hyperesthesia is not an independent disease, its external symptoms are rather unpleasant and even dangerous. Excessive mental reaction to environmental stimuli, hypersensitivity of the skin or teeth, cause the patient a lot of discomfort. The complexity of the fight against pathology lies in the fact that in order to eliminate the symptoms, it is necessary to determine the cause of its occurrence.
Psychological causes
Hyperesthesia is a pathological increase in the limit of sensitivity, quite often appears due to the influence of psychological factors.
The patient feels an extreme increase in the severity of perception of the surrounding reality and reacts very violently to all external stimuli (for example, cricket chirping or rustling of foliage). In most cases, this symptomatology is noted at the initial stages of some types of dizziness (for example, with sleepwalking) and other acute mental disorders. Another reason for the over-sensitivity of the psyche is the abnormal reaction of the human body or drug poisoning, which are used in the treatment of mental illness and have a psychoactive effect.
Types of hyperesthesia and its inherent clinical signs
Several types of hyperesthesia are distinguished, which is determined by the type of irritant to which the skin reaction manifests itself: paresthesia, hyperpathy, polyesthesia and thermal.
With the thermal form of increased sensitivity of the epidermal integument, the influence of heat or cold becomes a source of irritation. In this case, the low or high temperature at the place of contact causes severe pain, which does not correspond to the applied force.
With polyesthesia, the epidermis responds to a single irritation (for example, an injection with a sharp thing) by a sense of multiple influence (tingling in the area of ​​impact, the sensation of "running goose bumps").
Hyperpathy is characterized by the fact that even a minimal touch on the skin causes severe pain or pressure.
With paresthesia, the skin feels unusual sensations without the influence of any significant irritating factor, for example, “creeping goose bumps” in the presence of limb ischemia.
Varying degrees of manifestation
Symptoms with very sensitive skin can be expressed in varying degrees: from insignificant to serious, then the human life becomes much more complicated, and sometimes even disability is lost.
It happens that patients with hyperesthesia complain of trophic disturbances in skin tissue. They are concerned about epidermal peeling and severe dryness, the appearance of foci with reduced or increased pigmentation, a feeling of tightness and itching.
Often, patients with excessive skin sensitivity have a pronounced dermographism - a white or red mark appears at the point of contact, which does not disappear for a long time.
Symptoms of Mental Hyperesthesia
Often there is mental hyperesthesia. This is a pathology in which such manifestations as emotional instability and excessive irritability are felt. The patient reacts too violently and inadequately to various external stimuli. It doesn’t matter which particular receptors or sensory organs are irritated: olfactory (faint smells), auditory (rustling, clock ticking), tactile (prick, light touch). The patient becomes unstable emotionally, easily excited, cannot control his own emotions adequately. In some cases, patients experience many unpleasant, pointless sensations that occur in different parts of the body and are not amenable to localization. Too frequent onset of symptoms indicates additional diseases that the patient has. That is why before starting treatment should refute or confirm their presence.
Diagnostic Methods
The determination of the causes of the ailment, as in any other case, begins with an analysis of all the patient's complaints and collection of a medical history, that is, information about the course of the violation, living conditions, previously transferred diseases, etc. After this, a neurological examination is performed. Patient's olfactory functions and vision are checked, the reaction of integument is evaluated. An appeal to a psychiatrist or psychologist will help establish the causes of the pathology and diagnose it, which will help to assess the psycho-emotional state of a person.
Regarding instrumental methods, it must be said that the most effective among them is electroneuromyography. Through this procedure, the speed of passage of a nerve impulse to the brain from external receptors is monitored, and the level of damage to nerve tissue is determined. Also, hyperesthesia can be caused by a large amount of glucose, the presence of protein metabolism products and toxic substances. That is why laboratory tests of blood and urine are required.
Diagnosis of hyperesthesia is a neurological examination with the implementation of epidermal tests. The estimated area of ​​skin hyperesthesia is slightly prickled with a sharp object, the skin is touched with a different level of pressure, and tubes of cold and warm water are applied in turn to the affected area.
If there is a suspicion of a central genesis of skin hypersensitivity, then computer or magnetic resonance imaging, blood tests for the content of toxic components in it, as well as cerebrospinal fluid, are required.
Hyperesthesia of the skin
This pathology is a fairly common type of hypersensitivity of the skin. This condition is a consequence of defects in the activity of specific nerve fibers that pass through the skin. The nerve receptors as a result interact incorrectly with human organs, including the brain. Hyperesthesia of the skin can appear due to the influence of both strong external irritants (wounds, herpes, injuries, burns), as well as internal ones. The latter include high neural excitability in the brain. Hyperesthesia of the skin is often diagnosed in patients suffering from mental disorders, neuroses and other similar diseases.
Symptomatology
The violation described by us is distinguished by unpleasant sensations and burning pains that resemble burns. The nature of their occurrence in this case differs from the area of ​​localization. If you try to lift part of the skin, the patient appears almost unbearable severe pain. Also an additional sign of increased sensitivity of the skin is dermographism. When using a spatula or fingernail over healthy skin, there will be an imperceptible light pink trace on it, quickly disappearing. With pathology, a dark red strip appears, which is pronounced and does not disappear for a rather long time. However, caution must be exercised with this diagnostic method for the disease, since dermographism can also speak of impaired activity of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord and brain, etc. Hyperesthesia of the scalp is very common.
To diagnose a pathology, you must definitely consult a specialist.
Treatment
In the fight against pathology, the search and elimination of the factors that caused its occurrence are required. In acute situations, it is advisable to use painkillers (analgesics). In mild forms of the disease, physiotherapy and a patient visit to a sanatorium become effective.
Thus, skin hyperesthesia is a painful condition, accompanied by the flow of a large number of other pathologies. But the absence of the necessary medical intervention can lead the patient’s body to a state of shock, and therefore, if such symptoms are found in himself, it is advisable to go to the nearest institution to provide the necessary assistance. Treatment of hyperesthesia of the skin should be comprehensive.
Preventive measures
Preventive measures for skin hyperesthesia can be reduced to the following recommendations:
- The solution to unpleasant conflict situations in a timely manner.
- Psychotherapeutic or psychological treatment of emotional disorders.
- Healthy lifestyle.
- Healthy sleep and adequate rest (sleep at least 7-8 hours).
- Blood pressure control.
- Preventive medical examinations.
- Timely contact a specialist if you have health problems.
We examined the causes of skin hyperesthesia, treatment methods and disease prevention.