Saturday, April 4, 2009

Dermatographia: overly sensitive skin


Dermatographia is a rare condition where the skin is overly sensitive to minor injuries; even light scratches will cause it to become red and raised. The person's immune system exhibits hypersensitivity, via skin, that releases excessive amounts of histamine, causing capillaries to dilate and welts to appear (lasting about thirty minutes) when the skin’s surface is lightly scratched. In 2008, Neatorama featured artist Ariana Page Russell, who decided to use her medical condition as the basis for art, with some amazing results.

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