Associated symptoms

Accompanying symptoms of a burning skin are for example pain, a stinging or even itching. Nerve damage can also cause loss of sensitivity and numbness. Infectious diseases, such as shingles, can be accompanied by fever and a deterioration in general well-being.

Skin changes can also occur. Shingles typically manifests itself by small blisters and reddening of the skin. In the case of an allergy, for example, small wheals can be seen.

Inflammations of the skin often show redness and swelling. Depending on the cause and underlying disease, special accompanying symptoms are possible. Patients with a fibromyalgia syndrome, which also leads to burning skin, may also show symptoms such as sleep disorders, a depressive disposition, dry mouth, increased sweating and irritable bowel syndrome.

Skin burning is not necessarily accompanied by visible skin changes. This is because the cause of the burning sensation is not necessarily in the skin. Burning sensations can, for example, be an expression of a so-called polyneuropathy.

This means that damage to sensitive nerves leads to the complaints. However, such damage is not visible from the outside. Another example of a cause that is not visible from the outside is Lyme disease.

In the course of this disease, a burning of the skin can also occur. Also a nerve entrapment, as it occurs for example in carpal tunnel syndrome, is a possible cause for burning skin without being visible from the outside. Itching and burning of the skin can occur in so-called urticaria.

Urticaria is often known in the vernacular as “hives”. A distinction is made between an acute and a chronic form. An acute urticaria usually disappears after a few days and is caused, for example, by an allergic reaction.

Other triggers are cold, heat, pressure or even stress. Acute urticaria lasts for a maximum of six weeks. Chronic urticaria, on the other hand, can occur repeatedly over a long period of time and lead to considerable psychological stress.

It is possible that an autoimmune disease is hidden behind chronic urticaria. Urticaria is treated with cortisol and so-called antihistamines. In chronic urticaria, the treatment of the underlying disease, if found, is the main focus.

A stinging of the skin can occur accompanied by a burning sensation. The burning sensation of the skin is a very individual sensation anyway, so that some people may also feel a prick, slight pain or a tingling sensation. The exact cause cannot be determined by a pricking alone.

In principle, a disease of the skin can be present. However, there may also be a neurological cause behind the burning and stinging. An example of such a disease would be a polyneuropathy in diabetes mellitus.