Yes, it sounds like you experience a classic spring allergy, which is a reaction to trees and, later on in the season, grass. Plant pollens in the air cause the body to release chemicals called histamines, which can lead to a variety of inflammation-related symptoms. For some people, allergy symptoms include watery eyes, sneezing and/or a runny nose. Your main symptom is itchy skin, which is sensitive to the pollen in the air and further irritated by rough fabrics. It makes sense that your body only tolerates a soft fabric, such as cotton. Antihistamines may also help your skin feel less itchy. Q2. How common is it for someone to be allergic to pine trees? My youngest daughters have had allergy tests done and everything came back negative, but both of them still need to take allergy meds. The nurse at the ENT office said they don’t test for pine tree allergies because these allergies are not common. My girls didn’t have a problem till we moved into our present house, whose yard has nothing but pine trees. It’s true that pine pollen allergy is less common than other pollen allergies. We don’t test for it in our office, either, for that reason. However, that doesn’t mean your daughters can’t be allergic to it. Let’s back up for a moment, though. You say that they had allergy tests done. These could have been either blood tests or skin tests for pine-specific IgE. Skin tests are more likely to detect a pollen allergy. Having skin testing performed, if you haven’t already, would be my first suggestion. However, pine is not a standard extract in most allergy offices, as I mentioned. Perhaps you could check on this beforehand, or ask if you could pay for a small bottle of pine extract to be used in the testing. Make sure you have skin testing done by someone who is trained (usually an allergist, but some ENTs know how to do it as well) and can recognize and treat possible allergic reactions (which are rare but can be dangerous if not handled properly). Another possibility is that your daughters are allergic to something that was not picked up by their tests. Dust mites, molds, cockroaches, and mice are common in new homes, and may be present even without your knowing it. Also, if the previous owners had cats and your daughters are allergic, this could be causing their reactions because cat allergens take years to wear out of carpets and furnishings. You should review the test results to see if your daughters were tested for cat allergies. Another point to clarify is whether the ENT physician thinks your daughters’ problems are definitely allergic in nature. Allergic noses are swollen and pale, and allergic people often have eye symptoms too. However, your daughters could have other conditions that cause rhinitis (nasal inflammation), such as irritation from a heating system or a chlorinated swimming pool. Ask the ENT for his or her thoughts on other possible explanations. Finally, it’s worthwhile to consider having your daughters retested in a year or so. When allergies are truly new, a person’s skin sometimes takes longer than his or her nose and eyes to show allergic symptoms. An allergy might just take time to become detectable in this way. I hope these suggestions help you make sense of the situation. Q3. My allergies in the spring are to tree pollen, probably live oak. How effective are face masks in blocking this pollen? The masks I have are effective for pollen sizes 0.3 to 10 microns. Will this block live oak pollen? Thanks. The size of an oak pollen particle is about 40 microns. So a mask that is impermeable to 0.3 microns should block out pollen particles that size. The question remains, however, about how practical it is to wear a mask 24 hours a day, seven days a week! Perhaps you could save the mask for the times when you can’t avoid going outside, and work with an allergist to come up with a more sustainable treatment plan for your seasonal allergies. Q4. My grandson, age 18 months, has a milk allergy. He gets a lot of itching and redness on his body. He also does not get sound sleep during the night or day because of itching due to allergy. Please advise us on a suitable ointment to stop his itching. Can his milk allergy be cured? And what diet should he follow? We are purely vegetarians. If your grandson is allergic to milk, then all milk and dairy products should be removed from his diet. This type of allergy cannot be cured, so it’s crucial to avoid allergic triggers. Elimination of dairy may cause the itch to resolve on its own. Unfortunately, many children suffer from multiple food or airborne allergies. Your grandson should see an allergist for full testing; it’s possible he will need an antihistamine for allergies. Also, consulting with a nutritionist would be extremely valuable to make sure that the child is receiving enough calories and nutrients since there is more than one restriction on his diet (food allergy and vegetarianism). Q5. My daughter has been treated for an ear infection and was given amoxicillin. After taking her medication, she has been having constant fever and has developed an extreme itch on her extremities. We can’t figure this out. Does this sound like a drug allergy? She has never been allergic to any medication in the past. How can I help her get relief from the constant itching? It seems to be happening in the evening. The combination of fever and itching could be a reaction to the medication. This kind of reaction can happen even with a medication that was tolerated in the past. In cases like this, I recommend stopping the medication and starting an antihistamine. If the symptoms don’t improve, then oral steroids may be warranted. If someone is showing signs of a medication allergy and they develop any throat discomfort or shortness of breath, then they should go to an emergency room immediately for treatment. Q6. I have very itchy skin all over my body, but there is no rash. Could this be allergies? I have dry patches on the back sides of my hands and on my waist. I also have hepatitis C. My feet and hands itch so badly I can’t sleep. Please help. Itchy skin has many causes, including allergies, infections, such as hepatitis, and blood cell disorders. Blood testing will help determine or narrow down the possible source of the itch. In the meantime, make sure that your hepatitis is being appropriately treated since treatment of the virus can result in a decrease or even cessation of the itch. In the meantime, an antihistamine may help reduce some of the itchy feeling. Learn more in the Everyday Health Allergy Center.
