skin burning

[Rachel W]

Hi,

I was wondering whether anyone gets a burning sensation in the skin? My scalp, back and upper shoulders feel like they are burning (like I have sunburn), but there is no visual rash. The areas are not even that much warmer to touch either. It seems to be in areas that touch where I sit (i.e. the places that make contact with the couch, and near those areas.

I have had this on and off and always in the winter, during the cold months. I have not been out much as I have been stuck in studying. I have always thought that it may be from the dry air in the house due to the heating, although my skin is not visibly dry.

I DO take 30 minute showers daily, and do not moisturise in these areas and it happens every winter, but because of the hot feeling, it makes me feel like a fever (although in the past my temp has been normal).

I am also just getting over a really bad cold, have been eating really unhealthily and under a lot of stress (college and health anxiety).

I am starting to worry about something sinister like viral...

[springblossom]

Rachel I have had this - a definite sunburn feeling that feels as though my back and shoulders are on fire. I was terrified by it. I thought it was related to my thyroid but a blood test came back clear. This did go and I sometimes live in fear of it returning, but I did read that it can be a symptom of nervous sensitisation i.e. excess of adrenalin in the system causing the nerve endings to send inappropriate signals about temperature.

If someone touches your back do they feel you to be excessively warm? If they don't that might explain more...

[Wee-Mee]

I had a burning on my skin and it was radiating and oh so sore.
For me it went all down my back,round my torso and ribs and no one could touch me because it stung too much.I felt like I was on fire.

And funnily enough, warm(not roasting) baths helped soothe it but as soon as I came out, the cold hurt it again but it just disappeared after a week or so..I definitely think it was stress and anxiety that caused my body to just go crazy on me.
Here to talk if you need to petal
xxx

[Rachel W]

Thanks for the replies. It feels warm to me (and is also on my scalp as well), but I had my Mum touch my back yesterday and her hand felt warm and she said it felt cool. I know in the past I used to have a thermometer and was convinced I had a fever but never did (I don't do this anymore). It only happens in mid-winter so perhaps it is dry skin although my skin doesn't look dry or anything. It only really happenes when i am sitting leaning against a surface and it starts to burn. If I sit away, then it tends to calm down a little. There is no itchiness or redness.

[Rachel W]

Also, just to clarify; the skin does not feel sensitive to the touch at all. It is purely a feeling of heat when leaning against a surface or a little bit where my top is hitting my shoulders. It basically feels like heat is being trapped in between my body and the surface I am leaning against, and yet it doesn't feel any warmer than my Mum's back after she has been sitting against the same surface.

I know that dry skin can burn and I wonder whether this is why I am feeling what would normally just be normal body heat?
I have OCD so I take 30 minutes showers a day, and don't normally put any lotion on except my face and hands. My skin doesn't feel particularly dry, but may be it is enough to make it feel more sensitive to warmth?

Does anyone else have any insight. I started putting lotion on the last two days but this seems to have made it a little worse, but perhaps it will for a while so I am going to persist. I have also turned the radiator off in my bedroom to reduce the dry air (at one point my parents had the heat one very high and as mentioned I have not been out much over the past month.

Thanks to all.

Rachel

[springblossom]

I have this. It was gone and now it's back, it's almost like a feverish heat, a burning under the skin, very alarming.

[MidnightCalm]

I get this on my face, neck, shoulders a etc, excessive heat, it makes me feel 10 x iller than I already do!

[Rachel W]

It went away once the summer came and I was spending more time outdoors. I have been through a lot of stress associated with college and my OCD, and spending more time in the house although the heating hasn't been on, and now it is back. i have also been getting the feeling of having a slight fever, but in the past whenever i have had someone feel my head they say i am not warm. I fear taking my temperature, firstly because of the fear of a fever and secondly because if i buy a thermometer i may get into the habit.
I have been getting stuffed up a little but I assume that this may be normal with being indoors, even if the air isn't too dry.

I am starting to worry again. How is everyone else doing with this?

[Razi]

I am just so shocked I found someone like me! I do feel the same, feels like heat is being trapped in between my body and the surface I am leaning against. I feels extremely hot, like burning, fire on my skin. I knew there has to be something wrong with my body because it's too hot to be true! The excessive heat is from nowhere. sometimes when I'm lying on my bed my back become very hot like they're on fire. I do try to ignore the heat and told myself it's only me imagination(whatever) but while I try to ignore it, it still is burning, I feel like I'm being cooked. I have more to say as I have no time now.

[Rachel W]

Razi, yours sounds very similar and with you being male it is obviously not hormonal. When I was spending more time outdoors and less sitting around the house it seemed to get better. Also, I also think I was less stressed, although I always have some level going on.

Do you know what may trigger yours?

[harasgenster]

Hi
I got this really bad last year and it really scared me but it seems its a common symptom of anxiety because I keep reading about it!

The other most likely explanation, if it keeps going on for a while, is a mild allergic reaction to something like washing powder. If you've changed any detergents/soaps.shampoos you might want to swap back and see if it helps?

Since you mention it tends to happen in winter, I get rashes in winter due to the temperature change (I think, but it could be stress).

I get urticaria but I presume any mild/benign rash or skin sensation is possible so that might be a cause.

Overall, though, I'd say stress was the biggest factor in this.

[Razi]

It happens several months ago, as I lie down with my back on the bed, I feel a burning sensation on my back(only the body part that touches the bed). As I tried to ignore the growing heat, my back feels hotter. Well, after I can't stand the pain so I flipped on my front body and different part of my bed (I have a queen size bed). The same thing happen. Slowly, the heat feels like burning my front body. Even when I'm leaning sideways.
I use my palm and feel the surface on the bed that I lie, it does feel a bit warm but not that extreme hot. My body part that touches the bed also doesn't feel excessive hot either. That's when I knew I had false sense. Something is not right.
Even when I use the air-conditioner to cool myself, it still happens. Part of my body that touches the bed will like burn itself with the heat that is trapped. So I feel cold on every part of the body except the part that touches the bed. I set my air-conditioner to 16 Celcius. The air-conditioner does help a bit because I moved to a cool part of the bed. So when I moved, it takes longer for the heat to rise. So I'm changing position a lot. Until I can have a sleep. It'll disappear after I slept.
Even when I'm on the couch reading something at night. It's not hot at night. I feel a fire is burning me, well only on the skin of my body that touches the couch.
It's not normal isn't it? Sorry it maybe is not the same condition as you have.
Anyway, it's been several months I last suffered this. It's been going for a year. I really think it's my brain.

[Rachel W]

It sounds very similar. As soon as I move from the surface the feeling stops, and the area isn't sensitive to touch. It is almost like the skin is more sensitive to warmth, so when the body traps heat, which it will always do, the skin just feel it more. When i went away for a week, and then went out more it felt better, but i have been spending more time in the house, leaning against my pillow while on the computer and sitting on a leather couch. My Mum has just started putting the heat on again sometimes in the house. I have also been stressed and eating less, and taking warmer showers. I am going to try cooler showers again, and vitamin supplements to see if this helps. Also I am going to try to go out more again (I am staying with my parents in the UK and don't have a car anymore so I am limited, whereas when I return to the states in just over a month I will be able to go out more again.

[Universal]

i get this too usually leaning against the wall and recently during sleep which was quite worrisome.
either sides and some times in front abdomen.

[robocop192]

ack of neck and shoulders for me and inbetween shoulders. Sometimes its prickly heat other times its just pure stress! Either way when I became less anxious it went away. A lot of people experience this and it is scary as a burning feeling isnt nice. Rest assured its def stress mine has cleared with anti anxiety meds and cbt!