Witch skin?
June 1, 2008 4:27 PM Subscribe
If you press or rub on my skin firm enough to make white marks the white marks go away like normal when the blood comes back, but they reappear a few seconds later like ghost markings. They then fade over the next minute or two. Is there a name for this?
When I was a teenager a doctor who was wooing my mother said there was a name for this kind of skin and said that it used to be a sign of a witch. Before that I assumed everyone could draw temporary smiley faces just by pressing on their arms. I ignored him in the snotty way that teenage girls do when old guys are trying to make nice with the girlfriend's kids, but now I wish I remembered what he said. I'm perfectly healthy and heal well, have cheerful pink freckled skin that is probably Danish in origination, and may be developing minor rosacea in my middle age.
When I was a teenager a doctor who was wooing my mother said there was a name for this kind of skin and said that it used to be a sign of a witch. Before that I assumed everyone could draw temporary smiley faces just by pressing on their arms. I ignored him in the snotty way that teenage girls do when old guys are trying to make nice with the girlfriend's kids, but now I wish I remembered what he said. I'm perfectly healthy and heal well, have cheerful pink freckled skin that is probably Danish in origination, and may be developing minor rosacea in my middle age.
Of note: Ariana Page Russell - an artist with Dermagraphia.
posted by soplerfo at 5:27 PM on June 1, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by soplerfo at 5:27 PM on June 1, 2008 [3 favorites]
I have that. It is most pronounced when my skin is warm, like after a shower, and I think the antihistamines I take for my allergies mutes it. It also works best on my trunk area, not my arms or legs. The paler the area is, the better. Try taking a hot shower and writing words all over your skin- awesome. Also, another name for it is dermatographia- try googling that as well.
posted by MadamM at 6:23 PM on June 1, 2008
posted by MadamM at 6:23 PM on June 1, 2008
I have heard it called dermatographia. It is a sign of Behcet disease, but it can also occasionally be seen in healthy people.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:21 PM on June 1, 2008
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:21 PM on June 1, 2008
Dermatographia - I have it, and as far as I know don't have Behcet's. Its effects have lessened for me in adulthood, though I can still draw smiley faces on myself if I want :)
posted by altolinguistic at 1:20 AM on June 2, 2008
posted by altolinguistic at 1:20 AM on June 2, 2008
Similar to Mastocytosis but not as disfiguring. See mastokids.org for more information.
posted by Araucaria at 11:01 PM on June 10, 2008
posted by Araucaria at 11:01 PM on June 10, 2008
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posted by dantodd at 4:52 PM on June 1, 2008