Itchy skin and rashes: causes, safe relief and when it is an emergency

Itchy skin (pangangati ng balat, or kati-kati) can be in one spot, like a mosquito bite, or all over the body. Most itchy skin is not serious and gets better with simple care, often within a few weeks.

What the skin looks like gives a clue:

• Pantal (hives): raised, itchy welts that come and go within hours
• Bungang araw (heat rash): tiny, prickly spots where you sweat
• Dry, flaky or cracked skin: dry skin or eczema
• Itchy spots between the fingers, worse at night: possibly galis (scabies)
• Ring-shaped or scaly patches: possibly a fungal infection such as buni (ringworm) or an-an
• No rash at all: sometimes a sign of an illness inside the body

Don't diagnose yourself from a photo. A health worker can usually tell the cause by looking at your skin.

Skin problems cause most itching:

• dry skin, from soap, hot water or hot weather
• hives and allergies to foods, medicines, insect bites or plants
• heat rash and eczema (atopic dermatitis), which often runs in families with asthma
• contact dermatitis, a reaction to soap, detergent, cosmetics, rubber or metals like nickel
• fungal infections, galis (scabies), lice, and infections like bulutong (chickenpox)

Itching all over without a rash is less common. It can come from:

• kidney disease, especially in people on dialysis
• liver disease, often with yellow eyes or skin
• thyroid problems or iron-deficiency anemia
• diabetes, which can cause itching around the genitals
• pregnancy, which can sometimes bring a liver problem that needs urgent care (see itching at night)
• some medicines or herbal supplements
• less often, HIV, a blood disorder or advanced cancer

If you itch all over with no clear reason, see a doctor. A blood test can help find the cause.

Itching often feels worse at night (tuwing gabi), when you are warm under a blanket and nothing distracts you.

• Galis (scabies) is a common cause. The itch is intense at night, with spots between the fingers, on the wrists, around the waist and in the groin. In babies and small children it can also be on the palms and soles.
• Eczema and dry skin flare with heat and sweat.
• Kidney and liver disease can cause itching, with or without a rash, that disturbs sleep.
• In pregnancy, itchy palms and soles, or itching that is worse at night, can be a sign of a liver condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Contact your doctor, midwife or birthing facility the same day.

Keep the room cool, wear loose cotton clothes and keep your nails short. See a doctor if the itch keeps you from sleeping, or if others at home start to itch too.

Hives are raised, itchy welts that change shape, fade and come back within hours. Each welt usually fades within a day or two, and hives often clear in a few days.

Hives happen when the skin releases a chemical called histamine. Common triggers are:

• foods such as shellfish, fish, eggs, nuts and milk
• medicines, including some antibiotics and pain relievers
• insect bites and stings
• heat, sweat, stress or tight clothes, and infections

Often no cause is found. You don't need to avoid all "malansa" foods, only a food that clearly gives you hives. Tell every doctor and pharmacist about any medicine that gave you a rash. Hives lasting more than 6 weeks need a doctor's check.

Danger sign. Hives with swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or trouble breathing, can be anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If your doctor gave you an adrenaline auto-injector, use it first. Lie down (sit up slowly if breathing is hard), and don't stand or walk even if you feel better. Don't drive yourself to the hospital.

Scabies is caused by tiny mites that dig into the skin. WHO says it is most common in hot, crowded places. It has nothing to do with being dirty.

• It spreads through close skin contact, such as sharing a bed. You can't get it from pets.
• Signs can take up to 8 weeks to appear, so others may have it without itching yet.
• Scratching can lead to infected sores (impetigo), which WHO links to kidney damage in children.

Treatment. A doctor or health centre can give a scabies cream or lotion, such as permethrin, that goes on the whole body. The treatment has to be repeated, as the health worker explains, because it does not kill the eggs. Everyone in the home is treated at the same time, even people without an itch, and so are sexual partners from the past 8 weeks. Children under 2 and pregnant or breastfeeding women need a doctor's advice first.

On the first day of treatment, wash bedding, towels and clothes in hot water and dry them in the sun. Seal things you can't wash in a plastic bag for at least 3 days (WHO suggests a week). The itch can last a few weeks after the mites are dead, and may even feel worse for the first week or two. That does not mean the treatment failed, so don't add more cream on your own.

• Pat or tap the skin instead of scratching. Keep nails short and clean.
• Hold something cool on the itch, like a damp towel, for up to 20 minutes.
• Take short, cool or lukewarm baths. Hot water dries the skin. An oatmeal bath may soothe it.
• Use a mild, unperfumed soap, rinse well and pat dry gently.
• Apply an unperfumed moisturiser after bathing, while the skin is still damp.
• Wear loose cotton clothes, and use a mild laundry soap.
• Stay cool. For bungang araw, use a fan, take cool showers and drink enough water.
• Find your triggers. Note what you ate, used or touched before a flare, and avoid it. Wear gloves if detergents bother your hands.

Tell the pharmacist where you itch and what the rash looks like. They can suggest a product or tell you to see a doctor.

• Antihistamine tablets, such as cetirizine or loratadine, can help with hives and allergy itch. Some, like loratadine, cause less drowsiness. Others, like diphenhydramine, can make you very sleepy, so don't drive after taking them. They don't help every kind of itch.
• Calamine lotion can soothe heat rash, and menthol creams cool itchy skin.
• Hydrocortisone, a mild steroid cream, can calm red, itchy skin. Ask the pharmacist whether you need a doctor's prescription, and use it only as they or your doctor advise.

Follow the label or ask the pharmacist how much to use and for how long. Ask a doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a long-term illness, take other medicines, or are buying for a child.

A ring-shaped, scaly rash may be a fungal infection, which is treated differently: see our buni guide. You can also ask our AI medicines helper.

Some home cures for galis and kati-kati do more harm than good:

• Gasoline or kerosene (gaas) on the skin or hair can burn it. Breathing in the fumes can cause breathing problems.
• Bleach (such as Zonrox) or cleaning chemicals can irritate, burn and blister the skin.
• Perfumed soaps and harsh home mixtures, such as alcohol or tawas on scratched skin, can sting and irritate it and make the itch worse.
• Someone else's prescription cream may be wrong for your rash.

If a chemical gets on the skin, rinse with plenty of running water for at least 15 minutes, and go to the emergency room if it burned or blistered the skin. If any was swallowed, don't make the person vomit: go to the emergency room at once.

Check creams and soaps before you buy. FDA Philippines warns that unregistered cosmetics can cause skin irritation, itching and even severe allergic reactions. Search the product on the FDA Verification Portal (opens in a new tab), especially if it is sold online.

Babies often get bungang araw, because they can't control their body heat well. Eczema is also common in young children, often on the face, elbows and knees. Keep their skin cool and moisturised, and their nails short.

• Ask a doctor or your health centre before giving a child any medicine or cream.
• A baby under 2 with possible galis needs a doctor. Don't use scabies creams from the botika on them.
• A rash with fever needs a check the same day. Infections such as bulutong (chickenpox) and tigdas (measles) can cause both. Read our guides on dengue and fever in babies and children too.

The glass test. Press a clear glass on the rash. If the spots do not fade and look like small bruises or bleeding under the skin, go to the emergency room at once.

• Barangay health station, rural health unit (RHU) or city health centre. Start here for an itch that won't go away, a family with galis, or a child with a rash. Find a health centre.
• PhilHealth YAKAP. As of PhilHealth's July 2025 FAQ, members registered with a YAKAP clinic get free check-ups, the lab tests their YAKAP doctor orders, and GAMOT-list medicines that doctor prescribes, up to ₱20,000 a year. A private YAKAP clinic may charge up to ₱900 per person for the whole year. See our PhilHealth YAKAP guide.
• Dermatologist (skin doctor). Your doctor may refer you if the itch doesn't improve or the cause isn't clear.

Not sure if you need a doctor? Try our free AI symptoms guide, book a call with a nurse, or browse our skin guides.