Itchy/burning/prickling skin in bath - what could it be?

[GodReastieMerryGentlemen]

In the past 2 weeks I've suddenly developed a painful itching/prickling feeling in the bath all over (and just in the bath not shower). It started just my legs and bottom and when the water was very hot, but it's progressed to most parts of my body in the bath or shower. I have no idea what it could be but it's really uncomfortable. It will last for a while after the bath/shower and then it ATM goes away like it had never happened.

I have very sensitive skin and don't use bubble bath and only baby soap but this happens even when there's just water in the bath. I have dry skin and have been slathering myself with eczema cream as I come out of the bath which feels like it soothes it and helps, but doesn't seem to stop it happening in the bath. I've also just bathed washing with epaderm but it still happens. Tonight I noticed I had red dotty patches on my body where it had itched in the shower when I got out.

Any idea what this could be? Is it 'just' eczema? What can I do?

Do you have an allergy to what you have cleaned the bath with? Is the water too hot?

It's happened even when bath isn't that hot and not changed cleaning fluid type recently (and always rinse out before filling the bath and it's happening now in the shower .

The ONLY thing I can think is I've had a more perfumed fabric softener the past couple of months, could be irritation to that (although why it sticks its head up in past couple of weeks when I've been using it longer I'm not sure) so I'm rewashing some clothes to use for the rest of the week with no fabric softener to see if that helps.

I do tend to get weird physical things to stress, maybe this is a new incarnation or my body's response to stress....

I stopped using fabric softener about 15 years ago as my daughter and I were always scratching. Once everything had been re-washed we were fine and have been ever since. I just put everything in the tumble dryer for 10 mins, after it's dried, with a couple of those spiky ball things and they come out nice and soft.

We don't have a tumble drier... Am hoping things will be better after a few days of non fabric softener. If that's not what it is then I'm stumped.

My mum has this

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquagenic_pruritus

I think there is another one that's to do with the skin coming out with hives/itching if you sweat but I can't remember the name of it.