How Allergies Affect Your Skin

Allergies come in many guises. However, one thing they all have in common is that they generally affect multiple systems of the body—and that includes detrimental blemishes and problems with your skin.

Read on to discover how and why allergies have such an effect and what you can do to reduce or even get rid of them altogether.

Demystifying the Link Between Allergies and your Skin

• From rashes to hives and everything in-between
• Allergies and skin: learning about long-term solutions

From rashes to hives and everything in-between

The definition of an allergy is when the body has a hypersensitive immune response to a particular substance. This could be something airborne (such as pollen), ingested (peanuts), touched (fur), or injected (a drug or bee sting). When this happens, the body reacts by over-producing antibodies, causing reactions, such as sneezing, wheezing, inflammation, coughing, localized or generalized swelling, watery eyes, and, when it comes to the skin, rashes, hives (urticaria), blisters, itching, and more.

For many, allergies are seasonal. However, it depends on what the trigger is—for some, allergy issues continue throughout the year. No matter what is the case, many strategic steps can be undertaken to reduce the effects they have on the skin.

Allergies and skin: learning about long-term solutions

The first step to dealing with skin allergies is to determine what the trigger is. You might react to a single allergen or multiple different ones. It might be obvious—for instance, you might get a rash whenever you eat wheat-based products. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know the causes of an outbreak. This makes partnering with an allergist and/or dermatologist a key part of managing your skin allergy. Once you know the cause, you can more easily achieve the most basic of all skin allergy strategies—avoiding the trigger as much as possible. 

An expert diagnosis will also rule out other causes of skin blemishes, such as eczema or rosacea, which both require a different kind of definitive treatment.

As well as avoidance, which may or may not be achievable 100% of the time, other elements to reduce skin allergy symptoms include: 

• Relief from itching: Hives and/or an itchy skin rash are the most common skin allergy symptoms. Avoiding scratching is key—but often easier said than done. However, it’s important not to scratch as this can damage the top layer of the skin and cause an infection. Frequent bathing and moisturizing are good ways to relieve itching. Antihistamine medication can be used for positive, short-term results.
• Staying out of the sun: UV rays can cause skin allergy symptoms to worsen, meaning staying out of direct sunlight is a good idea. In some cases, rashes and hives can only become apparent when exposed to the sun—this is a condition known as photo-allergic contact dermatitis. Typical triggers for this kind of reaction include: 

• Perfume
• Shaving products
• Cosmetics
• Sunscreen
  

Skin allergies can make your life a misery and seeking professional advice is crucial to effectively reduce symptoms. Once the trigger is known, it becomes far easier to take the necessary steps to prevent the problem from occurring. You can’t help having an allergy, but you can put an effective control strategy in place. This will improve the quality of your skin and its look and feel as well.

Partner with Bayou City Dermatology for the Ultimate in Skin Allergy Care 

Allergies can play havoc with your skin. For many, it takes more than simply popping an antihistamine to rid yourself of constant redness, blotches, rashes, hives, or other unsightly blemishes. That’s when working with a dermatologist who specializes in allergies comes into its own.

At Bayou City Dermatology we believe that everyone should benefit from their best-ever skin. If allergies are blighting your skin, don’t despair. With expert advice and treatment, you really can make headway. 

Discover more at https://www.bayoucitydermatology.com and phone today to book your initial appointment. We promise, it really will be the best move of your life.