The skin of a person becomes dry in old age. The skin produces less fat - this leads to the appearance of microcracks on the surface of the epidermis. Some endocrine diseases and problems with the functioning of the liver exacerbate this process. In older women, the postmenopausal period begins, which causes hormonal failure, as a result of which the skin condition also suffers. Folk remedies for senile itching bring temporary relief. Is it possible to permanently get rid of this unpleasant condition?
Age-related changes in the epidermis
With age, the cells of the epidermis produce less elastin and collagen, the skin requires constant high-quality hydration and nutrition. If she receives less of them, then senile itching of the skin develops. This is a rather unpleasant pathological condition. Most often, it is independent and does not pose a threat to he alth. In some cases, if senile itching of the skin is accompanied by intense thirst andweight gain, this is a harbinger of diabetes or liver problems.
Sometimes scabies develops to such an extent that a person is forced to make efforts when combing. As a result, rather deep wounds are formed. In elderly people, they heal for a long time, they can begin to fester. As a result, a person cannot do without special therapeutic ointments that promote rapid tissue regeneration and healing.
Pathologies of the liver and gallbladder
One of the most common causes of senile itchy skin in the elderly is chronic cholecystitis. This is an inflammation of the cells of the gallbladder, which occurs due to a violation of the outflow of bile. The most common causes of the disease are:
- malnutrition;
- physiologically incorrect bending of the organ;
- lack of dietary fiber;
- alcohol abuse.
In the process of developing cholecystitis, gallstones are most often formed. The liver also suffers. Almost always, in parallel with cholecystitis, fibrosis, hepatitis of various etiologies, and fatty degeneration of liver cells are diagnosed.
During the development of these diseases, the skin may acquire a yellowish tint (this does not always happen). Senile itching in pathologies of the liver and gallbladder has the character of a painful pathology: arms, legs, back, face itch. In this case, scabies intensifies after a person has taken a shower. At first, patients try to choose the mostmild cleanser that contains nourishing and moisturizing ingredients. However, senile itching does not subside from this, and in some cases it only becomes stronger. You should treat the pathology "from the inside": drink a course of hepatoprotectors, replace the usual coffee and tea with a choleretic collection, monitor your diet and give up bad habits.
Diabetes mellitus as a cause of senile itching
The first signs of type 2 diabetes (typical for women over forty who suffer from obesity):
- a constant feeling of thirst that cannot be quenched by any drink;
- severe itching that forces the patient to scratch his skin until it bleeds;
- weight gain despite attempts to regulate diet;
- constant weakness, occasional fainting;
- lack of physical strength for the simplest loads - walk about a kilometer on foot or do push-ups from the floor a couple of times.
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is typical for women, this diagnosis is rarely made for men. Senile itching in type 2 diabetes is an integral part of the clinical picture. With a disease of the first type, itching is also present, but it is much less pronounced. In addition, patients with type 1 diabetes are forced to inject themselves with the hormone insulin, which allows them to quickly stabilize their condition.
With diabetes, you can get rid of senile itching of the skin with the help of pharmacy ointments, therapeutic baths, but the most important rule forstabilization of well-being is a special diet.
Simple carbohydrates and foods with a high glycemic index should be completely eliminated from the diet. This is the main condition in order to feel acceptable and continue professional activities. If a patient of an endocrinologist refuses to follow a diet, he will face a gradual extinction of all body functions. Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease that affects every corner of our body: vision deteriorates, kidneys fail, blood composition is disturbed, varicose veins and hemorrhoidal disease develop, the condition of veins, arteries and capillaries throughout the body is rapidly deteriorating.
List of folk remedies
How to treat senile itching of the skin, if for some reason there is not enough money for pharmaceutical ointments? Folk remedies will come to the rescue: everyone in the house has s alt, potassium permanganate, soda, iodine, brilliant green. Of course, compared with professional pharmacological preparations with hormones in the composition, folk remedies produce a weak effect. Nevertheless, they are able to alleviate the condition for half an hour or an hour and relieve the symptoms of unbearable senile itching.
1. Therapeutic bath with s alt and soda. You should fill the bath with water of moderately warm temperature (about 50-55 degrees) and dissolve in it a kilogram of ordinary food s alt and about 200 grams of soda. Take a bath for half an hour. After it, it is advisable to immediately go to bed, as the senile itching will subside and it will become possible to calmly fall asleep.
2. Iodine grid - simple andan effective way to reduce the severity of scabies. Apply iodine to the problem area with a cotton swab, drawing a grid. Already after half an hour, the severity of senile itching will become less.
3. If as a result of combing wounds and deep scratches have formed, they should be treated in a special way. Normal green will do. Before applying it, disinfect the skin with chlorhexidine or some kind of alcohol solution.
4. A weak solution of potassium permanganate will help relieve the symptoms of senile itching of the skin in the elderly. Treatment is quite risky: potassium permanganate is famous for its aggressive effect on the skin. Before making a compress or a bath with a solution of potassium permanganate, you should test and observe how the skin reacts to a weak solution. If there is no irritation and the itching does not increase, you can do compresses and baths.
Herbal infusions - a quick way to improve the body
The senile itching of the skin in the elderly can be reduced by regularly ingesting herbal infusions.
- The use of a collection prepared from crushed dry leaves of alder, nettle, and quinoa has a positive effect on the body of the elderly. It is necessary to mix a tablespoon of each plant, pour a liter of clean water and bring to a boil. You can add half a teaspoon of soda to the finished cooled collection - this will help reduce acidity in the presence of gastritis. Take an infusion of these medicinal herbs three to four times a day, preferablyon an empty stomach.
- Mint collection has a pleasant taste and soothing effect on the skin with senile itching. For cooking, take 3 parts of dry mint and 1 dandelion rhizomes. Steam 500 ml of boiling water, cover with a saucer and let it brew for several hours. Such an infusion is delicious and may well replace tea and coffee - unlike these drinks, it will benefit the body.
- Take one tablespoon of dry crushed blueberry leaves and the same amount of burdock. Pour boiling water (from half a liter to a liter, depending on the desired concentration of the finished broth), let it brew for a couple of hours. Take on an empty stomach two to three times a day, 100-150 ml.
Take pills and capsules to relieve itching
If skin senile itching is provoked by diseases of the liver and gallbladder, then you cannot do without taking specialized drugs.
Hepatoprotectors are needed - this class of pharmacological agents restores liver cells and promotes the outflow of excess bile.
1. "Ursosan" is a modern effective drug that allows you to get rid of gallstones without surgery. It should be taken for long courses under medical supervision. To monitor the condition every six months, do an ultrasound. The cost of a package of the drug with 60 capsules is about 800 rubles.
2. Heptral is a modern hepatoprotector that not only restores liver cells, but also has a slight antidepressant effect. The instructions provide dosage regimens and dosage for various liver diseases, it also mentionsthe possibility of taking the drug in depressive-anxiety disorder. The cost of a package containing 20 dragees is about 1,500 rubles.
3. "Karsil" is a mild drug, the therapeutic effect on the liver of which is achieved due to silymarin in the composition. Doctors rarely prescribe "Karsil" to their patients, as they consider its action too mild. If senile itching of the skin is provoked by a violation of the liver, then "Karsil" may be useful. The cost of a package with 90 dragees is about 700 rubles.
Dietary rules to alleviate the manifestations of scabies in the elderly
Treatment of senile itching of the skin will be useless if you do not change your lifestyle and adjust your diet. The epidermis of older people (both men and women) almost always lacks collagen and elastin.
To saturate the body with these amino acids, you should include salmon fish in the diet on a daily basis - ketu, trout, pink salmon, salmon, salmon. Of course, this fish is more expensive than others, but only it is able to saturate the cells of the body with useful fatty acids and amino acids, which are necessary to maintain the he alth and integrity of the epidermis.
In no case should you refuse meat! In old age, it is dangerous to switch to a raw food or vegetarian diet. Meat contains the whole complex of essential and non-essential amino acids. None of the other products can compensate for the body's need forprotein and amino acids to the same extent as dietary meat (turkey, chicken, veal). It should not be fried, the best cooking method is boiling and stewing.
Also in your daily diet should include fermented milk products - kefir, cottage cheese, cheese, milk, fermented baked milk. They are rich in calcium and protein. Fermented milk products with a low percentage of fat content should be preferred.
Importance of giving up all bad habits
The treatment of senile itching will be useless if, in parallel with it, a person abuses alcohol, smokes and does not allow himself to get enough sleep. Regular intake of alcohol (even if it is not abused) inevitably leads to the destruction of liver cells and fatty degeneration of the organ. As a result, there is a violation of the outflow of bile. This, in turn, leads to senile itching of the body.
The harm of alcohol also lies in the toxic effect on the nervous system. Nervous pruritus is a rather rare occurrence, but it should not be crossed out from the list of possible probabilities. Only by completely giving up alcoholic beverages for at least a year, one can judge the expediency of this step and a change in well-being. In the elderly, he alth is no longer the same, and a couple of glasses of wine for dinner can provoke an increase in pressure, and liver damage, and senile itching of the skin, and the appearance of red spots on the hands (a frequent manifestation of an allergy to alcohol).
Pharmacy ointments for the manifestation of scabies in the elderly
List of the most effective ointments for senile itching:
1. Sulfur ointment - produced by manypharmaceutical factories. This is a cheap tool that gained popularity back in the Soviet years. It has antipruritic, antiseptic and soothing effect. Effective against some types of fungi (onychomycosis of the skin).
2. "Advantan" is one of the most effective ointments, which almost instantly relieves even the most severe itching, promotes the healing of sores and cracks. It is so effective thanks to the hormones in the composition. The downside of "Advantana" is that if you stop using it, all the symptoms return to an even greater extent than before.
3. Wilkinson's ointment - contains sulfur. The drug is used exclusively for uncomplicated skin itching, when there are no nodules and other manifestations of dermatitis and allergies. The medication is used for only three days, with longer use, addiction may develop and the therapeutic effect may decrease.
Dermatologist's advice: how to prevent the development of scabies
Simple tips to help prevent senile itching:
- use contrast shower;
- give up bad habits;
- normalize your diet;
- exercise your body regularly with moderate physical activity;
- if necessary, take hormonal drugs, hepatoprotectors or other pharmacological agents for the normal functioning of the body;
- to undergo a full body examination once a year.
