Dermatographia.com

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The Dermatographia Index

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

What 365 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 43% 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 365 anonymous responses, last updated September 2026.

  • As of September 2026, the average dermatographia severity score among 365 people who completed the free 12-question self-assessment on Dermatographia.com was 63 out of 100.

  • 68% of the 365 respondents scored in the significant or severe range, and 32% scored mild or moderate.

  • The most common severity band was significant, reported by 44% 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 365.

  • 43% 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 33% of respondents.

  • Most respondents said their welts last 30 to 60 minutes (40%), 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.

365

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

43%

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% (10)
  • Moderate 29% (106)
  • Significant 44% (162)
  • Severe 24% (87)

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
    29% (n=106)
    Avg score
    46
    Lose sleep
    26%
    Antihistamines fall short
    26%

  • Significant

    Share
    44% (n=162)
    Avg score
    64
    Lose sleep
    62%
    Antihistamines fall short
    52%

  • Severe

    Share
    24% (n=87)
    Avg score
    85
    Lose sleep
    89%
    Antihistamines fall short
    48%

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

68% 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.

  • 32%
    1
  • 17%
    2
  • 16%
    3
  • 17%
    4
  • 11%
    5
  • 6%
    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 33%.

  • Scratching or rubbing33% (326)
  • Tight clothing & straps19% (190)
  • Heat & sweat18% (178)
  • Emotional stress16% (162)
  • Exercise9% (91)
  • Cold air or cold water6% (56)

How long marks last

Most common answer: 30 to 60 minutes.

  • 30 to 60 minutes40% (146)
  • Under 30 minutes33% (120)
  • A few hours14% (51)
  • Days7% (26)
  • Most of the day6% (21)

How often reactions happen

Most common answer: every single day.

  • Every single day61% (223)
  • Most days20% (74)
  • A few times a week12% (43)
  • Weekly or less7% (24)

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 nights44%160
Never43%158
Most nights13%47

How long people have had it

67% 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% (141)
  • More than 10 years29% (104)
  • 6 months to 2 years20% (73)
  • Less than 6 months13% (46)

What people are using now

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

  • One allergy pill a day, normal dose37% (136)
  • Creams or lotions on my skin34% (125)
  • An antihistamine only when I react24% (89)
  • More than one allergy pill a day21% (75)
  • Nothing yet19% (68)
  • Cold showers, ice or cool packs18% (64)
  • A prescription injection like Xolair5% (19)
  • Another prescription from a doctor (steroids, cyclosporine)5% (18)

Where on the body it shows up

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

  • Basically everywhere59% (215)
  • Torso, chest & back55% (199)
  • Arms53% (194)
  • Legs52% (190)
  • Neck & face45% (163)
  • Hands & feet41% (150)

365 people have scored themselves

Collecting responses since August 22, 2026.

12
Aug 30Aug 31Sep 1Sep 2Sep 3Sep 4Sep 5Sep 6Sep 7Sep 8Sep 9Sep 10Sep 11Sep 12Sep 13Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25Sep 26Sep 27Sep 28

Averaging 4.0 responses per day over the last 30 days.

Response volume by day
DateResponses
August 30, 202612
August 31, 20264
September 1, 20263
September 2, 20266
September 3, 20263
September 4, 20264
September 5, 20263
September 6, 20268
September 7, 20264
September 8, 20265
September 9, 20262
September 10, 20266
September 11, 20264
September 12, 20266
September 13, 20264
September 14, 20266
September 15, 20266
September 16, 20265
September 17, 20260
September 18, 20264
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, 20261

Add your data to the Index

Twelve questions, about two minutes, no email. Join the 365 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=365 respondents, updated continuously).

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Last updated September 28, 2026, sample size 365. Machine-readable aggregates: index-data.json.