Dermatographia.com

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The Dermatographia Index

Dermatographia statistics and survey data — the Stats page for this site.

What 417 people told us about living with skin writing — severity, triggers, sleep, and what treatment actually does for them.

What the data says: the most common dominant driver is histamine load (55% of people). Marks most often last 30 to 60 minutes. And 42% say antihistamines don't fully control it.

Key findings

Each statement below is complete on its own, so it can be quoted or cited directly. Figures come from 417 anonymous responses, last updated October 2026.

  • As of October 2026, the average dermatographia severity score among 417 people who completed the free 12-question self-assessment on Dermatographia.com was 63 out of 100.

  • 68% of the 417 respondents scored in the significant or severe range, and 32% scored mild or moderate.

  • The most common severity band was significant, reported by 45% of respondents.

  • 57% of respondents said itching disturbs their sleep at least sometimes, making night-time itch one of the most widely reported effects of dermatographia in this sample of 417.

  • 42% of respondents reported that antihistamines give them only partial relief or no relief at all, so a standard daily antihistamine fully controlled symptoms for a minority of this group.

  • The most common dominant symptom driver was histamine load, identified for 55% of respondents.

  • The most frequently selected trigger was "Scratching or rubbing", chosen by 35% of respondents.

  • Most respondents said their welts last 30 to 60 minutes (39%), which matches the short-lived weal pattern described in the clinical literature on symptomatic dermographism.

Source: The Dermatographia Index, Dermatographia.com. Self-reported, anonymous, self-selected sample; not a validated clinical instrument. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

417

People scored

anonymous responses so far

63/100

Average score

68% land in the significant or severe range

57%

Lose sleep to itching

roughly 2 in 3 people are woken by it

42%

Still react on antihistamines

only partial relief, or none at all

How do you compare? Take the 12-question quiz and your score is placed against everyone here.

Get My Dermatographia Score

How severe is dermatographia, really?

Severity bands from the 12-question quiz, based on how long marks last, how often they appear, itch intensity, night disruption and treatment response.

  • Mild 3% (11)
  • Moderate 30% (124)
  • Significant 45% (186)
  • Severe 23% (96)

68% of people scoring here fall into the significant or severe bands — this is rarely the “mild annoyance” it gets described as.

What changes as dermatographia gets more severe

The same two things get worse in lockstep with severity: sleep, and how much help antihistamines are. Sleep loss rises from 18% in the mild band to 89% in the severe band.

  • Mild

    Share
    3% (n=11)
    Avg score
    26
    Lose sleep
    18%
    Antihistamines fall short
    0%

  • Moderate

    Share
    30% (n=124)
    Avg score
    46
    Lose sleep
    27%
    Antihistamines fall short
    30%

  • Significant

    Share
    45% (n=186)
    Avg score
    64
    Lose sleep
    62%
    Antihistamines fall short
    51%

  • Severe

    Share
    23% (n=96)
    Avg score
    85
    Lose sleep
    89%
    Antihistamines fall short
    44%

Raw counts are shown because some bands are small — read the smallest bands as a direction, not a precise figure.

Almost nobody has just one trigger

59% of people select two or more triggers. That is why single-cause advice (“just avoid hot showers”) so rarely works — most people are managing a stack of overlapping triggers at once.

  • 41%
    1
  • 15%
    2
  • 14%
    3
  • 15%
    4
  • 10%
    5
  • 5%
    6+

Triggers selected per person

What drives dermatographia

Each person's answers produce one dominant driver. This is how often each one comes out on top — tap any driver to read more about it.

The most common triggers

People can select every trigger that applies, so these add up to more than 100%. Scratching or rubbing tops the list at 35%.

  • Scratching or rubbing35% (366)
  • Tight clothing & straps18% (192)
  • Heat & sweat17% (184)
  • Emotional stress16% (166)
  • Exercise9% (91)
  • Cold air or cold water5% (56)

How long marks last

Most common answer: 30 to 60 minutes.

  • 30 to 60 minutes39% (164)
  • Under 30 minutes35% (144)
  • A few hours14% (59)
  • Days6% (26)
  • Most of the day6% (23)

How often reactions happen

Most common answer: every single day.

  • Every single day62% (258)
  • Most days20% (83)
  • A few times a week11% (47)
  • Weekly or less7% (28)

Nights lost to itching

57% are woken by itching at least some nights.

57%woken by itching
How often dermatographia itching wakes people at night
AnswerShareResponses
Some nights45%187
Never43%180
Most nights12%50

How long people have had it

65% have been living with it for two years or more — it is far more often chronic than a passing few weeks.

  • 2 to 10 years37% (152)
  • More than 10 years28% (118)
  • 6 months to 2 years20% (84)
  • Less than 6 months15% (62)

What people are using now

Most common approach: one allergy pill a day, normal dose.

  • One allergy pill a day, normal dose37% (154)
  • Creams or lotions on my skin36% (150)
  • An antihistamine only when I react24% (99)
  • More than one allergy pill a day21% (87)
  • Nothing yet19% (79)
  • Cold showers, ice or cool packs18% (74)
  • A prescription injection like Xolair5% (20)
  • Another prescription from a doctor (steroids, cyclosporine)5% (20)

Where on the body it shows up

Most common answer: basically everywhere. People can pick more than one area.

  • Basically everywhere58% (242)
  • Torso, chest & back55% (229)
  • Arms54% (224)
  • Legs51% (212)
  • Neck & face44% (184)
  • Hands & feet41% (169)

417 people have scored themselves

Collecting responses since August 22, 2026.

6
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25Sep 26Sep 27Sep 28Sep 29Sep 30Oct 1Oct 2Oct 3Oct 4Oct 5Oct 6Oct 7Oct 8Oct 9Oct 10Oct 11Oct 12Oct 13Oct 14Oct 15Oct 16Oct 17Oct 18

Averaging 2.5 responses per day over the last 30 days.

Response volume by day
DateResponses
September 19, 20263
September 20, 20262
September 21, 20262
September 22, 20264
September 23, 20260
September 24, 20262
September 25, 20262
September 26, 20262
September 27, 20266
September 28, 20263
September 29, 20266
September 30, 20262
October 1, 20262
October 2, 20265
October 3, 20263
October 4, 20263
October 5, 20263
October 6, 20260
October 7, 20263
October 8, 20261
October 9, 20265
October 10, 20264
October 11, 20262
October 12, 20262
October 13, 20262
October 14, 20260
October 15, 20260
October 16, 20263
October 17, 20262
October 18, 20262

Add your data to the Index

Twelve questions, about two minutes, no email. Join the 417 people already in the data — you get a personalized score, everyone else gets a slightly clearer picture of this condition.

Get My Dermatographia Score
Methodology & limitations

Every figure here comes from the free 12-question dermatographia quiz on this site. Responses are self-reported, anonymous, and collected without names, emails or IP addresses. The severity score is our own composite index built from how long marks last, how often they appear, itch intensity, night disruption and treatment response — it is not a validated clinical instrument and should not be used for diagnosis. Participants are self-selected, so this sample skews toward people actively looking for help. Figures update continuously as new responses arrive.

How to cite this page

The Dermatographia Index. Dermatographia.com. https://dermatographia.com/stats (n=417 respondents, updated continuously).

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Last updated October 18, 2026, sample size 417. Machine-readable aggregates: index-data.json. Writers can grab quotable numbers and a free chart on the use our data page.