Scratching itchy skin feels so good, but leaves broken skin that doesn’t heal unless you stop scratching. It feels so good and it’s hard to stop once you start. So why does it feel so good but really you’re causing damage to yourself?
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If you are scratching so much that your are breaking your own skin, you may wish to have a medical checkup. There are conditions that cause skin itchiness as a side effect. High phosphorus levels sometimes due to kidney issues being one.
Scratching feels good because your body perceives an itch. We used to think itches were basically the same as pain, but it turns out itches are [their own type of feeling](https://www.sciencealert.com/some-disorders-make-you-itch-uncontrollably-so-much-so-that-one-woman-scratched-through-to-her-brain), unique the skin. When you scratch, you replace the itch with a mild pain. This stops the itch signal temporarily, and releases serotonin which provides temporary relief.
There’s an obvious benefit to this when some removable thing is causing the irritation (like a parasite), but if you’ve got persistent itching you may want to consult a doctor.
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