Bra straps, waistbands, and the arm of the bus seat

Once Mar mapped where her welts appeared, the pattern was impossible to un-see: every one of them sat where something had been pressing on her.

Mar ·

Living with it
3–5 years
Main trigger
Bra straps, waistbands and resting an arm on anything
What helped
Loose, unwaisted clothing and not resting her arms on hard surfaces

Mine seems to show up in the sensitive areas — under bra straps, around my waist where my pants sit. I've also noticed it below my elbow, where I rest my arm on the arm of the bus seat.

Once I saw that pattern, it was pretty hard to un-see. It isn't random. It's wherever something has been pressing on me.

So at weekends I wear loose, unwaisted clothing and I don't rest my arm on anything, and it is so much better. Not gone, but genuinely better, and without taking anything extra for it.

It does still seem to me like I have some kind of contact allergy on top of the pressure side of it. I want to get patch tested — it's been like this for a few years now and I was tested years ago but never patch tested. That's my next step.

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I drew a heart on my arm and it stood up like a stamp

Jodie found out by accident, mid-conversation. What followed was working out how much of her daily itching was hives and how much was pressure.

What helped: Antihistamines and treating skin gently instead of scrubbing

Jodie Thomas

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It started after Covid, and it does not always need a trigger

Kelly itches in her ears, scalp, throat and mouth when her medication wears off. Her advice is to stay consistently medicated — and to take throat symptoms seriously.

What helped: Staying consistently medicated instead of letting doses wear off

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Sitting cross-legged leaves lines on my legs

Sarah's answer to "what do you actually do about it" — a daily antihistamine, cooler showers, fragrance-free products, and less pressure on the skin.

What helped: A daily antihistamine, cooler showers and fragrance-free products

Sarah

3–5 years

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