Skin Hypersensitivity

Desensitisation – Home Programme

After an injury or operation nerves within the skin can sometimes become overly sensitive. Stimulation to the skin in that region of your body, such as touch or pressure, can feel unpleasant, oversensitive and even painful.

You can reduce these feelings by deliberately bombarding the sensitive nerve endings with different stimuli.

Massage

• Massage the sensitive area for five minutes, every two hours.
• Use a moisturizer on the area twice daily. This helps to soften the scar line and desensitize that area.
• Massage with electric toothbrush or hair brush.

Different Textures
(such as velvet, velcro, moleskin, toweling, polyester, wool)

• Choose a texture that is almost unbearable for you to touch.
• Rub this texture over the area for a few seconds.
• Then choose a texture that is bearable.
• Rub this over the area for two to three minutes, concentrating on feeling the touch rather than the pain.
• Return to your first (unbearable) texture and rub it over the area for two minutes. It should now be more bearable.
• Once the first texture becomes bearable, choose a new unbearable one and continue the process.
• Repeat 5 times a day.

Immersion (for hand desensitization)

• Fill a container with lentils, rice, macaroni, dried beans, or something similar that is only just bearable for you to touch.
• Immerse your finger or hand into the material and work the hand through it for five to seven minutes.
• Once it becomes more bearable, change the texture.
• Repeat 5 times a day.

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