Treating Skin Allergies

It’s no secret that skin allergies are annoying. They can lead to symptoms such as redness, irritation, swelling and itching. Many skin allergies will clear up on their own over the course of one or two weeks. Still, during that time, you still have to deal with the symptoms. There are certain steps that you can take to make yourself more comfortable as your allergies clear up.

First and foremost, you want to stay away from things that can make your skin allergies worse. Are your allergies triggered while using cleaners while using household cleaners? Stay away from these products for a while to see if they are the culprit. Do skin issues crop up after touching a food or a fruit that you are allergic to? Again, stay away from these things and get any traces of them out of your home. If you continually come into contact with things that trigger your allergies, the symptoms will only continue longer.

Some allergy symptoms can be helped by cold temperatures. For example, if you have a rash that is affecting your skin, take a cold shower, or use a cold compress to bring down the temperature of the affected area. When you’re done with your shower, use a towel to gently pat dry the affected area. Don’t try to wipe it dry, as this may irritate your skin more.

There are some home remedies that you can use to calm down the effects of skin allergies. Soaking your skin with ground oatmeal mixed with water is one method that helps many people relieve their symptoms. Of course, you need to be careful with this because some people may have an allergic reaction to the ground oatmeal, so you’ll need to find a soaking treatment that works well with your skin without triggering a new allergic reaction all together. Remember, avoid using hot water to soak the irritated skin. Hot water tends to irritate your skin even more. Lukewarm water is best.

Another option is to go to your pharmacy and find anti-itch creams. Some of the more popular anti-itch creams available at the pharmacy include hydrocortisone or calamine lotion. While these topical creams are not designed to cure the skin allergies, they will calm down some of the symptoms, relieve some of the itching and allow you to live more comfortably while the allergic reaction clears itself up.

Many allergy sufferers are surprised to learn that the clothing you wear can negatively affect your allergies. If you wear very tight clothing, your rash can get irritated. You want your clothes to be loose and breathable. You don’t want your clothes to be constantly rubbing up against your skin.

If your skin allergies do not clear up on their own despite your efforts, it is a good idea to get it checked by our board-certified dermatologist at Westover Hills Dermatology. This is true even if your allergy gets slightly better with home treatments. This is because some skin allergies can be a sign of a more serious underlying medical condition that requires professional treatment. To ensure both your comfort and the health of your skin, contact our office in San Antonio to book your first appointment and learn about your treatment options.