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Posts Tagged ‘Skin Rashes’

Jun
15
skin allergies


Your skin is the first thing people see when they look at you. Even when you meet someone it is common to shake their hand in greeting in the United States. Skin allergies can affect that first impression. If you don’t suffer from skin allergies you may think of it as a cosmetic problem but anyone who has them knows that a skin allergy can be very uncomfortable and at times painful.

Some people may not realize that the skin is the largest organ that we have. We all want to take good care of our skin even though it can be challenging at times even when you don’t have skin allergies. We want our skin to look healthy, radiant and smooth. Unfortunately, many live day in day out with a variety of skin disorders usually caused by allergic reactions. There is hope for managing these allergies. The key is to be informed.

What Can Cause a Skin Allergy?

Here is a list of some typical triggers that cause a skin allergy:

*Chemical Household Cleaners

*Latex

*A Variety of Foods

*Pollen

*Dust

Chemical Household Cleaners: These cleaners have strong chemicals that are very harsh. If you are not wearing gloves the chemicals can not only cause rashes but they can even cause burns. I was cleaning my grill yesterday with an oven cleaner and thought I could get away with not using gloves. I was mistaken since I burned my thumb. Skin allergies are also known as allergic contact dermatitis because they generally surface when you come into contact with the allergen line the cleaners in this instance.

If you are affected by this type of skin allergy there are alternative natural cleaning products that you can use if you have been highly sensitive to these types of products. These products are made of less toxic and less harmful materials.

Latex: This material can cause skin allergies as well. Those who wear latex gloves may be sensitive to the latex that is used when these gloves are manufactured. When the latex comes in contact with the skin rashes, bumps, and other reactions can occur. You may also experience severe itching.

There are other gloves that are manufactured that do not have latex. Nowadays daycare and childcare facilities are really on top of allergies. They ask questions about your children’s allergies including latex since these facilities use gloves to keep from spreading germs when they change the children’s diapers.

Variety of Foods: Food sensitivities or intolerance can cause skin allergies. Unfortunately they are hard to diagnose because of the delayed reaction most people experience. Hives can occur rapidly after a certain food has been eaten. Some may be surprised to know that eczema can develop if a food is continually eaten. Eczema is a common skin disorder that has been linked to not only allergies but asthma as well.

Infants and children can develop reactions to dairy but older people can be affected as well. The person is usually reacting to the protein in the milk itself called casein. This reaction causes underlying skin irritations such as dermatitis and rashes. Wheat , citrus, peanuts, and eggs are other foods that can cause skin allergies to erupt.

Pollen and dust can also cause skin allergies but they are commonly known more for reactions affecting your breathink like wheezing, congestion and coughing.

Can Skin Allergies be Treated?

There are a variety of treatment options for treating these skin reactions. Doctors can prescribe certain creams and lotions that can reduce the inflammation or get rid of the rashes and itching. You may also want to consider natural or alternative treatments as well. Keep in mind once you identify your allergy you should do your best to avoid what causes your skin allergy.



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Jun
10
skin allergies


Skin Allergies

Red, bumpy, scaly, itchy, swollen skin….any of these symptoms can signify an allergic skin condition.

These skin problems can be caused by a range of different things: animals, plants, medicines, foods, jewelery or even your clothes.

Generally these attacks that are brought on by the unfortunate intersection of allergies and skin rashes fall into one of two categories: dermal allergies and systemic allergies that present as skin rashes.

What are the most common allergens?

Pollen from trees, grass and weeds. Allergies that occur in the spring (late April and May) are often due to tree pollen.

Mold. Mold is common where water tends to collect, such as shower curtains, window moldings and damp basements.

Causes Skin Allergies

Dust mites, cockroaches, molds and animal dander, are examples of year-around allergens.

Tree, grass and ragweed pollens are primarily seasonal outdoor allergens. Seasonal pollens depend on wind for cross-pollination. Plants that depend on insect pollination, such as goldenrod and dandelions, do not usually cause allergic rhinitis.

Allergy is caused by an oversensitive immune system, which leads to a misdirected immune response. The immune system normally protects the body against harmful substances, such as bacteria and viruses. It reacts to substances (allergens) that are generally harmless and in most people do not cause a problem.

Grass and tree pollens

Dust mites (living in and feeding on house dust)

Food (cow’s milk, hen eggs, wheat, soya, seafood, fruit and nuts)

Fungal or mould spores (in the bathroom and other damp areas)

Poison ivy is the classic example of acute ACD in North America. ACD from poison ivy is characterized by linear streaks of acute dermatitis that develop where plant parts have been in direct contact with the skin.

Symptoms Skin Allergies

Pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, and some skin cysts are markers of acne. Get up to speed on acne symptoms

Allergic shiners – the dark circles children with allergies often get under their eyes

An allergic salute common in children – the upward tilt of the nose with a crease on top, caused by the child’s continual upward swiping at an itchy nose.

Another skin condition, urticaria (hives), is often considered a symptom of allergies, but not all urticaria is caused by an allergic response. Allergic urticaria is often related to drug, food, or latex allergies, but many times it is not known what triggers the urticaria.

wheezing, noisy breathing or shortness of breath

rash or redness of the skin

loss of consciousness

Treatment Skin Allergies

Antihistamines like diphenhydramine, chlortrimeton, or loratadine (Clari tin, Clari tin RediTabs, Al avert); and moisturizing lotions.

Keep windows and doors closed during heavy pollination seasons.

Use the air conditioner in the house and car.

Rid the home of indoor plants and other sources of mildew.

Gargle with warm salt water to help reduce swelling and relieve discomfort:

Gargle at least once each hour with 1 tsp (5 g) of salt dissolved in 8 fl oz of warm water.

Use acaricide (a chemical that kills house-dust mites) or a tannic acid solution (solution that neutralizes the allergen in mite droppings).



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Apr
06
allergies to cats

Cat allergy symptoms afflict many people. Sufferers are in real trouble if they happen to own a cat. This might not make sense to the ordinary person but to a cat lover it does. The symptoms may developed long after they have acquired their furry companion so getting rid of the rascal my simply not be an option. So for many cat lovers and owners living with cat allergies is a real problem that they have to live with.

Allergies in general are still not completely understood by the medical community. Inroads have been made but the fact remains that not enough knowledge has been gained on allergies to completely eliminate them. Some of the best experts on allergies in the medical community are themselves allergy sufferers. This in itself has allowed them to make the observations necessary to gain a better understanding of allergy symptoms.

Cat allergy symptoms can manifest themselves in many forms. They can appear singularly or in combination. They can come and go for no apparent reason. So you may have been mistaking your symptoms for a lingering cold and or a sore throat that comes and goes. A rash that sometimes responds to topical treatment and sometimes doesn’t. Sneezing fits that you blame on dust or pollen allergies.

Some of the symptoms are clogged and ringing ears. Sneezing fits. Red and watering eyes. Burning eyes. Skin rashes. Cold-like symptoms. Sore throat. Sound familiar? If you are a cat owner and you have these symptoms on a regular basis that you may be suffering from cat allergies. You can however take steps to reduce your suffering and still keep your beloved friend.

Until recently the actual cause of the allergy symptoms was a mystery. People thought they knew but in the end no one really knew for sure what in fact was on the cat that was causing the suffering. Hair?small skin flakes? The cat box? It turns out it is the cats saliva that is the culprit. By licking its hair, which is a cats favorite past time, your cat is spreading the stuff that is the root of your suffering.

The best method of determining if you are suffering from cat allergies is to remove your cat from the house for about two weeks and vacuum and clean anything your cat is in contact with and see if the symptoms disappear or are lessened. Not doing a thorough cleaning defeats the purpose of this test. This is a common test for most allergy sufferers. Remove the suspect material and see if it goes away.

Assuming that you have made a determination that you are in fact suffering from cat allergies then the next question is what to do about it. The easiest and most complete solution short of finding your cat a new home is to make it an outside cat. This might seem like a great sacrifice to yourself but your cat may love it once it has adjusted. A cat door can be installed on a side room or garage so it can still come in from the weather.

Other solutions can be had but they are not as completely as effective as putting your cat outside. Vacuuming and cleaning your house more often helps. It’s a lot more work for yourself but the allergen can be removed. Receiving medical treatment for your allergies can be effective if you respond positively to the treatment. Limiting your cats access to your whole house particularly your bedroom is a must.

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Jan
06
allergies symptoms


In this brief article, we will define an allergy symptom and discuss some specific systems and what they mean to you as an allergy sufferer. An allergy symptom is any symptom associated with allergies such as a running nose, itchy eyes, watery eyes, sneezing, itchy skin, and more. We will go into some detail about where a symptom comes from and why they appear as well as a brief discussion about how to cure those symptoms if time permits.

What are some of the symptoms?

Some of the most common allergy symptoms occur for the seasonal allergies such as hay fever and include the itchy watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing aspects of allergenic symptoms. Other cases of allergies feature more serious symptoms that can be more harmful and troublesome such as absentmindedness, dizziness, trouble swallowing, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, skin rashes, vertigo, vomiting, and other serious cases of health issues that may spring from how the body deals with the allergen itself.

Airborne allergies are, however, the most common form of allergies and tend to feature the most common form of an allergy symptom as well. Most of these symptoms are related to the sinuses as the hay fever and other allergies like hay fever tend to affect those systems of the body. Sneezing, a clogged and runny nose, itchiness in the eyes and throat, coughing, postnasal drip, and swollen eyes (a symptom called “conjunctivitis”) are all parts of the airborne allergy symptom repertoire.

Why do these symptoms occur?

Most times, the allergic reaction is coupled with a portion of the allergen. In other words, if the allergen is known for entering the lungs it will likely attack portions of the body related to the lungs and to breathing. An airborne allergy, thus, will likely attach itself to the breathing apparatus and my cause coughing or the nose to run because of the way it affects the system directly. There are other reasons for this that scientists studying allergy immunology are aware of, but the basics of most allergies are that they are “system attackers” in general.

How are the symptoms cured?

An allergy symptom can be cured in a number of ways depending on the actual system it affects and how drastically the body is affected. Many people can simply take, for example, an antihistamine for a hay fever type allergy and go about their day while others simply will not respond to the antihistamine. It is essentially a matter of the biological makeup of the allergy sufferer in terms of how they react to certain medications and how much medication is needed to cure the allergy symptom.



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