Why We Get Embarrassed Over an Itchy Anus
It’s strange, isn’t it? You have an itchy scalp or some other skin irritation and it’s easy to tell someone about it. Move that itch a few feet down to the anus and suddenly it’s something that you don’t want to talk about.
No one wants to admit to an itching anus. It doesn’t feel quite right. Somehow a little dirty, as if you were personally responsible for it.
But why should we be embarrassed by such a thing? Is it a throwback to the Victorian era when we just didn’t talk about such things? Many people if they find a problem with their bodies will go in search of a doctor’s advice. But, give them an irritated anus and they’ll think twice. The bottom could be literally dropping out of their world and they won’t tell anyone.
They’ll head straight for the web and search their symptom, just to make sure that’s it is nothing serious. Anal itching is one of the most searched terms on the internet.
The main reason?
Because people don’t mention it in polite company.
The causes of anal itching are many and varied. The reaction to it is almost universal, particularly amongst Western communities. Admittedly we have an embarrassment issue with many bodily functions – kids lose confidence when they develop acne, women and men try to hide parts of their bodies they don’t like, we don’t talk about toilet habits.
But giving into embarrassment and avoiding the issue, especially when it comes to something like anal itching, can often do more harm than good.
What to do about your embarrassing anal irritation
- Give it a scientific name. Let’s face it, everything sounds more substantial if you give it a posh name. The term for anal itching and irritation is pruritus ani.
- It’s not just the embarrassment of talking about it, anal itching can cause problems if it suddenly occurs when you are in the middle of something important like an interview or a business meeting. If that happens to you on a regular basis then the solution may be to carry around a tube of soothing cream that can take the heat out of the situation.
- Try not to take life too seriously. The reason most people laugh at embarrassing conditions, especially when they are happening to someone else, is that we like to find humour in difficult situations. It takes off the edge. Really, nobody is going to think less of you if you have an itchy anus.
- If your symptoms persist then you must see your doctor. A number of causes of anal itching are perfectly natural including things like eating spicy food or having a slight bacterial infection. Normally this causes discomfort for a while but if your condition carries on for too long then you should seek medical advice.
Most anal irritations can be soothed pretty quickly with a suitable topical cream and having a tube on hand for when it occurs can save you a lot of fidgeting and embarrassment. It’s something that happens to all of us at one time or another. Imagine your favourite celebrity with an itchy bum and maybe you won’t feel too bad after all.