Hi there, Eric Bakker, naturopath. The question I get asked from people at times and emailed as well is an interesting one. And it’s a question that you may have yourself.
The question is why does Candida itch? Why does my skin feel itchy when I have a yeast infection?
Now that itch may be around the scalp. It could be around the ears, inside the ears, around the neck, armpits, groin, vaginal; it could be an anal itch, but the question remains the same. Why does my skin itch? Have you ever wondered that?
Well, there are many different opinions and varied opinions on this particular question. Some of the more plausible ones are that Candida can reside on the skin surface and particularly on the margins of the skin where the mucous membranes are. It will sit there because it’s nice and moist and dark and warm, and it will like those areas. A typical place I see people with yeast infections will be armpits and under the breasts of some women, and in skin folds of larger people. So these areas really provide the right kind of an environment for yeast infections to really proliferate.
But when we look at the itching side, some experts believe the itching comes about because when Candida changes, it mutates into a particular form, a spore form. It has these small hooks called rhizoids which can grab into the skin and latch into the skin, burrow into the skin. And this can create a sensation of itching. And the longer you’ve had the yeast infection for, the more established the more so this itch can really drive you crazy. It can burrow in there and create a major problem.
Another theory is that the yeast cells actually get affected by the immune system, so the immune system, in turn, in the skin will release chemicals, particularly chemicals like histamines or various other chemicals, which will try to attack the yeast and set up an inflammatory response, redness, itching, and heat. These are typical things that we find with some people with yeast infections.
So the other scenario is that yeast themselves can actually release chemicals which can affect the skin. So, you know, we’ve got three particular scenarios here, but I’m sure there are plenty more reasons why Candida can cause itching.
The big thing with a yeast infection is get it while it’s still recent. So if you’ve got a skin itch, and for males I see this a lot around the groin or for women a vaginal yeast infection. If the itch is driving you crazy, get onto it now. Don’t let it get in there and become a very chronic itch. And the reason is is because it’s going to affect you psychologically and physically. (A) It’s going to drive you crazy and literally crazy. You’ll develop anxiety around this and embarrassment and fear like I used to have years ago when I had a jock itch infection. It drove me nuts. And this can set up a fear where you don’t really want to be around a lot of other people for fear of embarrassment. And (B), when the itch actually becomes chronic, it becomes harder to get rid of. And you can actually scratch the skin all around the itch and create a secondary infection requiring, you guessed it, antibiotics. And so the cycle continues.
So you really want to get on top of the itch as soon as possible. You’re going to find some great solutions in Candida Crusher, in my book. I’ve written extensively on how you can help merely eradicate these acute and chronic conditions in various chapters.
So if you haven’t got a copy, grab a copy. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. You’re going to get a lot more good videos your way. And take a survey on yeastinfection.org.
Thanks for your time.