Why do we get phantom itches that we can't find?

One potentially serious diagnosis for phantom itches is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formication i.e. "a sensation that exactly resembles that of small insects crawling on (or under) the skin." Common Symptoms of Formication include: feelings of itchiness, tingling, pins and needles, burning, or even pain. Possible Causes of Formication include: normal states such as onset of menopause (i.e. hormone withdrawal) pesticide exposure, mercury poisoning, diabetic neuropathy, skin cancer, syphilis, Lyme disease or herpes zoster (shingles), stimulant intoxication (e.g. methamphetamines, cocaine), alcohol withdrawal in alcoholics (i.e. delirium tremens). I would advise anyone experiencing formication to speak with your doctor about it, just to be safe.

Hey. I've always wondered this and they are the worst type of itches they drive you crazy lol. I've come to realise and maybe figure this out. U know certain spots on your body are connected to other parts of your body somehow, whether it be by the nerves or what, I think that's the answer. I realised this because the other day I actually had an itch on the inside of my thigh. It was so itchy and I was itching it but there was no relief and it felt like the itch was deep inside the leg rather than on the skin. So I started to itch all over my thigh instead to find the source of the itch and it worked. I itched the other side of my thigh I think it was, and it worked! Weird but worked lol. I actually think it's the nerves deep inside twitching or whatever which sends signals to other nerves, spasing those nerve endings out too and that's what causes those really irritating deep itches. As really you are looking to itch the nerve that triggered it in the first place! Haha, I hope that makes sense. Becky. \U0001f604\U0001f609

In Dante's Inferno, falsifiers were punished by "the burning rage/of fierce itching that nothing could relieve." Phantom itches are itches we can not find. This is a non-skin condition problem. Mechanism of itch is not known. But itching is usually triggered by an insect bite, a skin disease, viral or bacterial infection, stress, HIV, a serious condition like cancer. It is a sensation that exactly resembles that of small insects crawling on the skin. It is a feeling that is the result of signals skin sends to brain in an effort to rub out an irritant. We scratch to remove the itch. Instances are known of patients scratching their skulls to brain necessitating brain surgery. Acute cases may commit suicide.   Phantom itching can be caused by psychosis, severe stresses and emotional experiences. Showering followed by generous application of body lotion and complete change of clothes ease suffering. Changing to a warmer clime can cure the disease. There might be a connection between hemochromatosis and phantom itching. Notwithstanding what experts may say, my analytical reasoning tells that primary causes of all kinds of itching problems are one or more of the following: consumption of farm and agriculture products produced using chemicals/fertilisers/insecticides, regular intake of processed foods, sexual promiscuity, indiscriminate habitation and co-habitation, unhygienic living and/or bad sanitation, relations with prostitutes, whores and public women.   I personally am well aware of one case of itching where the person suffered for several months before he was cured of it through medications. The person is a Brahmin and as part of the rites conducted during funeral ceremony, he bathed in a pond whose water was polluted. The priest said and he took dips several times, though grudgingly, and the result was itching. The itching went after troubling him for more than 3 months. This was surely caused due to infectious micro-organisms which he must have contacted while taking those holy baths.

If a limb or appendage is amputated, the area on the brain it is represented by remains intact. The brain can still feel the area although it is not there. There are central, spinal and peripheral causes. Phantom sensations are reported by a very large number of amputees.

I do not know the physiology of itching, but as a psychologist I often see physical manifestations of psychological realities. For example a woman with severe itchy rashes that seem to come and go without reason discovered living with her abusive roommate was literally "eating her alive," or "someone was getting under her skin." Once she ended the relationship the itching stopped, never to return.

I sometimes wonder if it is actually movement of bodyhair that makes me itch sometimes?  Either that or some kind of microscopic bug that is unseen, but I think in some cases when nothing looks like it is there it may actually be my body hair moving that feels like an itch.  I'm not sure if there is some kind of solution to this.This could explain some random itches, but it doesn't explain many others like, my mother often gets an itch around twilight or later when she gets tired.I sometimes get an itch after having a shower, its generally only my arms and/or legs in that case, not generally torso, face/head in that case.Some Allergic reactions to things such as pet hair, may cause itches in some cases, also some rashes.Any form of skin healing as noted may also cause an itch, but I'm not sure as to why, just that this happens, its common and well known medically (or at least I assume so since even I know and I am not a medical professional.)

an itch is your brain is an response to slight irritation of the skin. it evolved so the body could sense something on the skin that’s not supposed to be there. scratching actually doesn’t fix itchiness often causing more problems. but it feels good because we’re disturbing the nerve cells that send recptors saying we’re itchy as for phantom itches it’s likely your skin is irritated by an external or internal reaction such asallergic reaction to chemicals or foodsskin conditions

i have had a double mastomy, i have itching under the skin that nothing i do will get rid of it, it's driving me crazy