We are naturally allergic to the very word “Allergy”. It can happen to anyone at any time, no one can predict its outcome is the fact.
We can tell thousands of reasons for the occurrence of an Allergy. Some dust can lead to allergy. In some people wearing helmets can cause allergies in their scalp area. Even a simple hair oil and medications can lead to allergies in your skin. It doesn’t depend on age or gender.
What are the signs of Allergies?
Irritation, pain, itchy sensation, reddening of the skin, swelling, redness in some spot with white coloration in the middle, circular blisters.
What causes Allergy
Foods, Clothes, place of stay, it can be anything.
Some foods that are perfectly okay for most people like eggs, milk, almonds, mint leaves, meat, shrimp, cheese can show off signs of allergies in some people.
For some people, even medications that they take for their bodily conditions can lead to allergies. This is the main reason why Doctors will ask you if you are allergic to any medicines or foods before writing their prescriptions.
Allergies can even be induced by things we use on regular basis like wrist watches, earrings, golden ornaments etc..
Allergies due to chemicals plays a big role. People who handle alcohol, turpentine, acetone, ketone, latex, kerosene, petrol are more used to allergies on their skin.
Types of Allergies
Eczema: It leads to swelling in the skin. It is itchy. It turns reddish in color. Initially, it starts with itching, but as it progresses, it makes the skin dry and swelled. Finally, it makes the outer layer of the skin to peel off. We have discussed this condition in detail in another article in this blog.
Eczema Reasons, Treatments, and Ways to Prevent it
Hives: Hives causes severe bumps all over the body which appears reddish or pinkish in color. We also call this condition as urticaria. This lasts for 6 to 12 hours time period.
Our body releases a protein molecule called histamine during the occurrence of this allergy. When this happens, capillaries ( branch of blood vessels) will release a type of fluid. This fluid accumulates on top of the skin surface and causes bumps or plaques. This condition is called as Hives or urticaria. This is not an infectious condition, so your family members and friends no need to worry about it.
There are numerous reasons for its occurrence ranging from food to cockroach bites. Treatment for this condition will be based on its severity.
Contact Dermatitis: When a foreign body that is not acceptable by our skin touches its surface, it leads to itching, and bumps. This usually damages the outer layer of the skin which is called as epidermis and the next layer to the epidermis which is called as the dermis.
The initial part of the treatment would be identifying the causative agent of the allergy and preventing it from touching the skin surface. When handling chemical substances, the person must wear gloves to avoid direct contact. Though the condition might feel very itchy, the person should avoid itching it aggressively.
Calamine lotion, hydrocortisone creams can be applied to treat the condition based on Doctor’s directions.
Additionally, the person must take foods rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A, C, E, D, and B-complex.
How to figure out an allergy?
- If the allergy occurs due to food, pay attention to all the foods you intake and make a note of it for one whole week.
- Do this continuously for one week for all the three meals. Compare the foods you had, if you identify a particular food item that is common for three days or more, it is most likely the reason for your allergy.
- Only Doctors can identify and confirm the allergies that occur due to reasons other than food. Initially, the dermatologist will find out the sensitivity of your skin.
- Apart from this, he can also carry out a patch test. This test will involve using a patch on the skin for a particular time period to detect the nature of the allergy.
- Other than these two tests, Dimethylglyoxime test could also be advised. This test is used to identify allergies that are caused by metals like nickel.
