I recently made a post about dermatographism in which I can write on my skin, AMA

Do your close friends attempt to draw dicks on you when you're not paying attention?

In the past, yes. Especially in high school. Now I’m in college so everyone too busy trying to survive to bother

Hate to break this to you, but I'm 46 with the same condition and my friends still draw dicks on my arms in the pub.

I feel you bro

Does your butthole get more itchy if you scratch it? And have you ever had a rash from severe wiping?

Nope, it doesn’t affect the crotch or anal region. Sometimes I get the rashes on my buttcheeks but that’s as far as it goes.

Did you ever write formulas and such on your arms to cheat on tests? Sounds like a legit idea hehe

I’ve never tried, I personally think it’s too easy to get caught. It’s definitely possible if you really wanted to and wore long sleeves to cover it up and such, but it seems like too much trouble

So, do you draw on your skin with your fingernail or do you use like a pen with a cap on it?

Fingernail, but an ‘off’ ballpoint pen works well too. If I want to create finer lines, I use a toothpick. A capped pen is probably too blunt to exert enough force for me

So what are you going to do with all this karma? Invest in research?

this

Ever tried "colouring" your entire skin layer before?

Nope! That sounds time consuming and potentially itch-inducing.

What's the weirdest thing you've drawn on yourself?

dickbutt i'd say..

He’s right. Dickbutt.

One time I was bored in class and just poked my arm lightly with a toothpick all over. It ended up looking pretty scary, like measles or something

I have this too! I used to draw dicks on my arm in middle school to get a laugh, lol. I never knew it had a name though

I was wondering if your skin peels on your palms and fingertips at an abnormally high rate? I have this too and am curious if they could be related. It’s called something like dyshydrosis. (Wrong spelling)

Nope, I have sweaty palms but as far as I’ve studied they’re not related.

Dyshidrosis is a form of eczema though, which is in fact related to urticaria. They all fall under the ‘atopic’ (allergic) family of conditions, alongside with things like as asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Have you lived with this your whole life? Or as a kid did you find out by drawing something?

Got it when I was 14, lived with it till now (24).

Holy shit, I know you won't read this, but I believe I have what you have. I got it like 3 years ago, is there a name for this?

It’s called dermatographism, also known as dermatographia or dermatographic urticaria. They’re different names for the same thing

Besides your genitals, are there any other places which aren't affected?

My face and scalp have never been affected as far as I can remember, and the asscrack/anal region has been thankfully free as well

When did you find out you had this super power?

Edit: also does this happen all over? Like even your face? Or just in certain areas.

Answers in main post!:)

Hey nice to meet another weirdo like me. I’m in the the small group of being allergic to water. My skin does something similar to yours when in contact with rain, ocean, shower, and even sweat. I also have to to antihistamines daily but my situation is mild compared to other with it. It’s called Aquagenic Pruritus and the worst one is called Aquagenic Urticaria. Those people can’t even drink water. Is your hereditary like mine? And does vibrations affect you at all with your condition?

Yup, this is all under the group of conditions known as urticaria, which are subdivided according to their triggers. Those with a trigger of mechanical contact/pressure are known as dermatographism. Medically, no one knows exactly what causes it but it’s likely genetic, there’s a link to it an allergic conditions like asthma/allergic rhinitis/eczema.

Vibrations never seemed to be an issue for me.

Water as a trigger while very rare is definitely much harder to live with, I hope it doesn’t affect your lifestyle too much! Take care man:)

Has your condition ever caused you any awkward moments/do you have any interesting tales related to your condition?

Also, how do you cope with taking antihistamines daily? If I take one (hay fever) I'm pretty much comatose for two days, regardless of whether it's a first generation AH or if it's a new "non-drowsy" AH, and if you have any tips to avoid being essentially narcoleptic all the time I'd love to hear your secret (or is it just a case of tolerance building over time?)

Not any of the top of my head, but it’s useful when you’re getting to know a group of people and they want to play an icebreaker like ‘ everyone say something interesting about yourself’ - I usually open with ‘I can draw on my skin and it’ll appear as a rash!’

I take a 3rd generation antihistamine which has less drowsy effects, and it works well for me and I’ve never had any side effects that I’ve noticed. 1st gen antihistamines definitely make you much sleepier. But this really differs from patient to patient, some people just are really susceptible to the drowsiness regardless of which generation it is. Unfortunately it’s not something you can change or do much about:(

I use a non drowsy antihistamines and I’m fine, I used them for 2 weeks straight, I’m highly allergic to animals salvia, I have around 14 animals at my house so, it gets pretty bad. I stopped taking them daily since I didn’t want it to wear off, and taking anything for a little time can’t be too good.

You should see your doctor about this. If you’re highly allergic to something you should try to avoid exposure to it, you always run the risk of anaphylactic shock which is life-threatening.

If you feel that your antihistamines are ‘wearing off’ or not working well for you, you should try changing to a different antihistamine under medical supervision. Not taking your medication will just increase the likelihood that you’ll get a flare.

Do you draw a dick on the weekly? Dont lie to me!

I hardly draw anything on my skin! I’ve gotten so used to it that most of the time I forget it’s even there

What are intimate encounters like?? What effect does it have on your skin??

Doesn’t affect me at all. At most I’ll get some scratches on my back that looks worse than it is but I wear that proudly;)

Is your palette only the one colour?

I plan to use all this karma to unlock more colours. Stay tuned

How long do your doodles last?

Half an hour to an hour at most

Are you able to get tattoos?

I’m personally not interested in getting one for myself, but it’s possible for those with dermatographism to get it, considering the tattoo artist is willing and the condition isn’t too severe. It would be difficult for them to do a good job what with all the redness and swelling that will occur during the process

I JUST contracted dermatographia and I'm 30! It's annoying as hell. At first I was thinking it started because of an underlying medication I was taking, but now I'm starting to think either stress or my radiotherapy / recent surgery caused it.

I've been taking Benadryl to subside the symptoms, but the drowsiness is a problem. Do you take any antihistamines?

Stress is a known trigger that increases the frequency of flares.

I take fexofenadine (marketed as Telfast in my country, may differ in yours) and it works well without side effects for me.

Kind of off topic, but if your username implies your field of study, what is so interesting about a bryophyte? I mean, from the 5 minutes of research on Wikipedia they look like a weird pickle flower.

If not, well then shit.

P.S: If this hasn't already been asked, is it physically painful/discomforting at all or just a strange disorder?

It’s just a play on my name which starts with bry, I’m a medical student and don’t actually study bryology.

All questions answered here

When did you discover this condition? When it first occurred was it frightening? Assuming you haven't had his condition since you were very young.

Funny story: I actually found out about this condition when my childhood friend had it. He was wearing a tank top and told me not to slap him because it would appear as a red handprint. Of course, being a young kid, I immediately slapped his arm and delighted in the result. 2 years later I started developing it as well. Call it karma:P

Also, to those who think it might be contagious just from the above story - I’ve done my dermatology posting, as far as we’re aware it’s not linked to any infection. There’s a strong correlation of dermatographism to those with a family history of allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema or allergic rhinitis. The general consensus is that it’s influenced by genetics.

Have any of your friends ever drawn a dick on you?

Many times when I was a teenager, not anymore

Does it itch or hurt?

How much pressure do you have to apply for it to work?

Itches a little, but this varies. Sometimes it’s itchy as hell, sometimes I don’t feel anything and just see the rash.

Moderate pressure, best way to describe it is just take an ‘off’ ballpoint pen and rub it against your skin without causing pain.

How do you deal with itches that are not related to dermatographism?

That’s a difficult question to answer and really depends on the cause of your rash/itch. I strongly suggest you see a doctor if you’re concerned about it

How common is this? What is the wierdest thing you've "used" it for?

It’s not as common as things like asthma or high blood pressure, but it’s not altogether rare either. My initial post on r/mildlyinteresting had plenty of people saying ‘oh i have this too!’

Do you get rashes on the inside of your hands ever? Like on your palms or something. Is it possible?

I don’t, but it’s possible. Everyone has different areas that are affected but more common ones are the trunk and limbs

How big are your arms? Like could you draw a banana for scale please?

What if I drew a small banana?

Are there advantages to this condition? Besides karma, of course

It’s a cool party trick but that’s it.

Have you had this your whole life?

Answer in main post!:)

Do you get this in your face/neck?

My neck yes, don’t think I’ve ever noticed it on my face though

are you able to “write” everywhere on your body (except for your genitals as you mentioned) when it acts up like that?

Almost everywhere, places where I definitely don’t get it are my genitals, anal region, face, scalp, palms and soles of my feet.