Seniors: You’re Not Crazy. Your Itchy Skin Is Real.

Read Time: 2.5 Minutes

The Effects of Aging Take a Toll on Senior Skin

Imagine waking up almost every night scratching at itchy skin on your hands, arms and legs. Maybe you wake up to red lines on your body each morning from scratching during the night. Then, during the day, the itch is constant and maddening – but there doesn’t seem to be any visible reason for it. Perhaps you’re feeling the urge to scratch as you read this.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

As we age, everyone’s skin experiences dramatic changes. The fatty, protective layer under the skin diminishes. We also experience thinner, fragile skin that wrinkles, bruises easily or even tears. However, the most common skin complaint for seniors is itchy skin. The itching – there are many medical names for it – is very real. You aren’t crazy. It’s not just in your head.

“Age-related itchy skin is a condition faced by many older adults,” says Dr. Roger Ceilley, a board-certified dermatologist. “Using a quality moisturizer can help diminish the feelings of itch and dryness, but for a product to be truly effective, it needs a medicine intended to relieve itch.”

There are all sorts of over-the-counter anti-itch medicines and creams, but they aren’t all created equal. Some may have very real and significant drawbacks. Many of them are “corticosteroid” (basically a fancy word for topical steroid) based creams or gels, like hydrocortisone. While these typically do reduce itch after one or more uses, topical steroid creams can have side effects with long-term use: thinning skin, irritation, dependency and even more itch (Jonathan D. Ference 2009). That defeats the purpose of an anti-itch cream, don’t you think?

Then there are others that are formulated specifically for the unique skincare needs of seniors, like the DerMend Mature Skin Solutions line of products. Hydrocortisone used to be one of the only anti-itch options for seniors, but now thanks to products like DerMend Moisturizing Anti-Itch Lotion, that’s all changing.

“Now there are very effective, steroid- free itch relieving creams and lotions available,” says Dr. Ceilley. “They’re designed to address the needs of sensitive, aging skin.”

DerMend is specifically formulated for Mature Skin.

DerMend Moisturizing Anti-Itch Lotion was recently introduced by Ferndale Healthcare, Inc., a company that’s dedicated to helping older Americans deal with age- related changes to their skin.

Unlike the steroid-based creams, DerMend Moisturizing Anti-Itch Lotion won’t thin your skin or result in additional itch and irritation. The anti-itch formula uses moisturizers to soothe your skin and improve its overall condition and texture, combined with a medicine that’s proven to temporarily relieve itch from minor skin irritations quickly and effectively.

You can learn more about DerMend Moisturizing Anti-Itch Lotion, the other DerMend Mature Skin Solutions products, and print a coupon at DerMend.com. If you want to avoid another night of agonizing itchy skin, you can also buy DerMend products now at Amazon.

Available At:

Jonathan D. Ference, PharmD, and Allen R. Last, MD, MPH. 2009. “Choosing Topical Corticosteroids.” American Family Physician. January 15. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2009/0115/p135.html.

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Last modified: May 4, 2023