On the inside they felt itchy for about a couple of hours. But I just received them and haven't washed them yet. They were just received today. They were marked L/XL. I've included a picture of the outside of the sock, the inside of the sock, and what my skin looks like after wearing them for an hour. The blue strings you see on the picture of the inside of the sock are soft, so I guess it's just the compression making them feel scratchy. I noticed it mostly when I put them on, not so much before I took them off. I usually don't wear clothes before washing them so that may have been the issue as well. They do provide good compression for me, and are a good substitute for the white ones my Dr gave me at the hospital. On the ones they gave me at the VA hospital the tows were cut out, I have no idea why???UPDATE: I updated it to 5 stars after wearing them for two days. I got used to them pretty quick. There's a noticeable difference in my hands and feet. They always used to be very cold. They were just as good as ice on a headache. Now my hands are about body temperature which I don't ever remember in the winter. I only wore compression socks before in the hospital after my heart bypass surgery. What a bargain to solve my issue. I'm very pleased. My calves are 15" and these fit perfectly. They do leave indentations in my legs. I just took a shower and still have the indentations. This is not a problem, just proof that they are actually real compression socks for a bargain price. I'd highly recommend these to anyone suffering from cold hands and feet. My feet no longer hurt in these socks.