EBS The Great Doctor Professor Kim Hye-won to Reveal Causes of 9-Year Intractable Itching (25th at 9:55 PM)

The Great Doctor: Why am I itchy? - Intractable Itching

“When the itching was severe, I couldn't sleep at night.” “When it really itches, I go crazy.”

An itching that crawls all over the body like an insect. Even if you scratch, and scratch, and scratch, why does it keep itching? If something breaks somewhere along the path that transmits itching from the skin to the brain, the itching becomes unending pain.

Is it a skin disease, a systemic disease, a nerve problem, or something where the reason cannot even be known? Scratching causes inflammation, and inflammation changes the nerve endings, causing even more severe itching.

To break the vicious cycle, the hidden cause of the itching must be found!

In the EBS episode ‘Why am I itchy? – Intractable Itching’, we track the hidden causes of intractable itching with dermatology expert Professor Kim Hye-won and look for solutions to escape the itching.

* Broadcast Date/Time: Friday, September 25, 2026, at 9:55 PM, EBS1

Itching, find the cause first

A diligent man in his 40s who is recognized for his abilities at work. His itching occurs only internally without visible rashes on the surface. It is sometimes difficult because it can look like malingering, and during long-distance driving, the itching is so extreme that he even carries a portable backscratcher. He, who said he wanted to call 119 because of the itching, visited a hospital and underwent a patch test. The result was a strong positive reaction to nickel. Working at a company that handles electrical wires, he frequently visits field sites and has had a lot of exposure to metal. Symptoms can appear throughout the body not only through direct contact but also through inhalation or food. The man, who has suffered from itching for 9 years, feels relieved to have learned the cause. Can he break the long cycle of itching and return to a comfortable daily life? Let's look into the causes of itching and the corresponding treatments.

Does itching also "scabies"?

A woman in her 90s, visiting the hospital in a wheelchair, cannot sleep at night because her body is itchy. Her 70-year-old son, who came with her, also decided to undergo testing and treatment as his body becomes itchy in the evening. The test result revealed the cause was ‘scabies’. When infected with scabies mites, symptoms appear after an incubation period of 4 to 6 weeks. As the scabies mites make burrows in the skin's stratum corneum to lay eggs and discharge secretions, extreme itching appears between the fingers, armpits, around the navel, or the perineum. Since there is a risk of re-infestation if even one mite remains, treatment must continue until the scabies mites completely disappear. Through what route is scabies transmitted? Can it be transmitted just by brushing against a scabies patient? Let's look into the treatment methods for scabies and the treatment principles where family members must be treated together.

The vicious cycle of itching can be broken

A man in his 60s says he keeps scratching unless his hands are tied. He has suffered for 30 years from atopic dermatitis so itchy that he has to scratch by peeling off scabs, and although he visited all the famous hospitals, steroid treatment only temporarily stopped the pain. The situation where the lesion worsened due to long-term scratching, and as it worsened, he scratched again, repeating the vicious cycle, even led to prurigo nodularis. Meeting Professor Kim Hye-won by chance at a hospital he visited for a burn sustained while working was the beginning of full-scale treatment. The man, whose itching disappeared like magic after 6 months of treatment, has improved to the point where he says his hands feel bored now that he has stopped scratching them incessantly. Intractable itching that has lasted for a long time. Let's look into the treatment strategy to break that vicious cycle.

In EBS , we look into in detail with dermatology expert Professor Kim Hye-won the causes and treatments of intractable itching created by the entanglement of the skin barrier, immunity, and sensory nerves, and the reason why one should not endure it but seek treatment. The EBS episode ‘Why am I itchy? – Intractable Itching’ will be broadcast on EBS 1TV on Friday, September 25, at 9:55 PM, and can be rewatched on the EBS website.

* Related photos are available on the EBS institutional website (about.ebs.co.kr)-Cyber PR Office-Highlights, on the corresponding broadcast date.

◆ At a Glance

· Issuing Institution: EBS

· Category: The Great Doctor

· Distribution: September 23

Source: EBS Press Release

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