Updated continuously
The Dermatographia Index
Dermatographia statistics and survey data — the Stats page for this site.
What 295 people told us about living with skin writing — severity, triggers, sleep, and what treatment actually does for them.
295
People scored
anonymous responses so far
63/100
Average score
68% land in the significant or severe range
59%
Lose sleep to itching
roughly 2 in 3 people are woken by it
41%
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 ScoreHow 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% (10)
- Moderate 28% (83)
- Significant 43% (127)
- Severe 25% (75)
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 10% in the mild band to 89% in the severe band.
Mild
- Share
- 3% (n=10)
- Avg score
- 25
- Lose sleep
- 10%
- Antihistamines fall short
- 0%
Moderate
- Share
- 28% (n=83)
- Avg score
- 46
- Lose sleep
- 30%
- Antihistamines fall short
- 24%
Significant
- Share
- 43% (n=127)
- Avg score
- 64
- Lose sleep
- 63%
- Antihistamines fall short
- 50%
Severe
- Share
- 25% (n=75)
- Avg score
- 86
- Lose sleep
- 89%
- Antihistamines fall short
- 49%
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
84% 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.
- 16%1
- 21%2
- 20%3
- 21%4
- 14%5
- 8%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.
- 1Histamine load54% (158)
- 2Friction & pressure44% (130)
- 3Stress & nervous system1% (3)
- 4Sleep & recovery1% (2)
- 5Environment & air quality1% (2)
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 29%.
- Scratching or rubbing29% (274)
- Tight clothing & straps19% (181)
- Heat & sweat18% (172)
- Emotional stress17% (160)
- Exercise10% (90)
- Cold air or cold water6% (56)
How long marks last
Most common answer: 30 to 60 minutes.
- 30 to 60 minutes43% (126)
- Under 30 minutes31% (91)
- A few hours14% (40)
- Days7% (22)
- Most of the day5% (15)
How often reactions happen
Most common answer: every single day.
- Every single day60% (176)
- Most days20% (59)
- A few times a week13% (38)
- Weekly or less7% (21)
Nights lost to itching
59% are woken by itching at least some nights.
| Answer | Share | Responses |
|---|---|---|
| Some nights | 46% | 136 |
| Never | 41% | 122 |
| Most nights | 13% | 37 |
How long people have had it
70% have been living with it for two years or more — it is far more often chronic than a passing few weeks.
- 2 to 10 years39% (116)
- More than 10 years30% (89)
- 6 months to 2 years20% (58)
- Less than 6 months11% (31)
What people are using now
Most common approach: one allergy pill a day, normal dose.
- One allergy pill a day, normal dose39% (115)
- Creams or lotions on my skin32% (93)
- An antihistamine only when I react23% (67)
- More than one allergy pill a day22% (65)
- Nothing yet17% (50)
- Cold showers, ice or cool packs16% (46)
- A prescription injection like Xolair6% (17)
- Another prescription from a doctor (steroids, cyclosporine)6% (17)
Where on the body it shows up
Most common answer: basically everywhere. People can pick more than one area.
- Basically everywhere58% (171)
- Torso, chest & back57% (168)
- Arms57% (167)
- Legs55% (161)
- Neck & face51% (151)
- Hands & feet46% (136)
295 people have scored themselves
Collecting responses since August 22, 2026.
Averaging 9.8 responses per day over the last 30 days.
| Date | Responses |
|---|---|
| August 10, 2026 | 0 |
| August 11, 2026 | 0 |
| August 12, 2026 | 0 |
| August 13, 2026 | 0 |
| August 14, 2026 | 0 |
| August 15, 2026 | 0 |
| August 16, 2026 | 0 |
| August 17, 2026 | 0 |
| August 18, 2026 | 0 |
| August 19, 2026 | 0 |
| August 20, 2026 | 0 |
| August 21, 2026 | 0 |
| August 22, 2026 | 24 |
| August 23, 2026 | 110 |
| August 24, 2026 | 23 |
| August 25, 2026 | 12 |
| August 26, 2026 | 7 |
| August 27, 2026 | 35 |
| August 28, 2026 | 16 |
| August 29, 2026 | 19 |
| August 30, 2026 | 12 |
| August 31, 2026 | 4 |
| September 1, 2026 | 3 |
| September 2, 2026 | 6 |
| September 3, 2026 | 3 |
| September 4, 2026 | 4 |
| September 5, 2026 | 3 |
| September 6, 2026 | 8 |
| September 7, 2026 | 4 |
| September 8, 2026 | 2 |
Add your data to the Index
Twelve questions, about two minutes, no email. Join the 295 people already in the data — you get a personalized score, everyone else gets a slightly clearer picture of this condition.
Get My Dermatographia ScoreMethodology & 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=295 respondents, updated continuously).
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Last updated September 8, 2026, sample size 295. Machine-readable aggregates: index-data.json.