Why is my butthole so itchy?

+20 votes
asked Jun 1, 2019 in Health & Wellness by Ceri (1,030 points)
edited Jun 21, 2019
Help! My anus is itchy! It really bothers me. It’s been that way almost a week now. I’m considering visiting the GP, but I feel so embarrassed. I can’t focus on my work, the itchiness keeps distracting me. I’ve tried washing it a few times every day, but it didn’t work. I’m not sure what caused it in the first place. Is there anything I can to relief it?

3 Answers

+25 votes
answered Jun 17, 2019 by manprit (1,120 points)
edited Aug 14, 2019

Itchy butthole can be caused by a primary or a secondary source.

The primary causes are the condition that usually result in the itch due to function, or even psychological in nature, the causes that directly lead to itching. Functional butthole itchy is what you might actually expect, stemming from left-over or “escaping” feces. Psychological itching where the problem is mind related can be quite complex, usually even linked to depression or anxiety.   

In secondary causes, however, it can have quite a range of reasons as to why it happens – being hygienic or too little, skin conditions, rectal disorders such as piles, infections that is sexually transmitted, systemic medical conditions such as diabetes, foods that could irritate such as chili, not to mention various drugs.

Avoiding certain food is the easiest of prevention. Restrain intake of alcohol, dairy products and coffee, especially coffee which can be extremely irritants to the bowels, tomatoes and citrus should be avoided as well. Chocolate and nuts, not just the combo, both of them separately, just pretend you are on a diet that will give you a perkier butt, and the one stated previously, spicy food. 

+9 votes
answered Jun 9, 2019 by kal (910 points)
edited Aug 8, 2019
Itching and scratching can lead to chronic cycles. Whenever you scratch, you cause a tiny tear in the skin, which in return gets more itchy when moisture, such as sweat, gets in contact. Temporary relief might lead to a long-term problem. So avoid scratching to exacerbate the skin breaks. Therefore, strictly not scratching the problematic area allows time for it to heal and should remove the itch. Although, beware that it might drive the weak hearted mad.
+5 votes
answered Aug 5, 2019 by Annelynne Yeeun (1,160 points)
edited Aug 10, 2019
Um.. about your question why is my butthole so itchy? I don’t think I’m certified to answer that. I’m not even sure what sort of site I’m writing for at this point, probably something on general questions and answers. I mean consulting an actual medical site is a better option for this kind of problems. Well, let’s give it a go anyway. Pruritus ani, as it called medically, is the itching around the anus. Key things to note, itching is a symptom, not the diagnosis of the condition. So your best bet is still the physician. Unsurprisingly, it is quite a common problem, which you shouldn’t be embarrassed to consult a GP about. They are there to help you, probably have dealt with tons of previous similar case as well.
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