Skin
Allergy Symptoms and Causes
When
you suffer from red, itchy, bumpy skin, these are the signs that
you may have a skin allergy. Whether it is an allergy to something
you ate or something you touched, your skin allergy symptoms are
caused by your immune system over-responding to common substances
such as food, insect bites, or plants. By being exposed to an allergen,
your immune system triggers a response that eventually releases
histamine, the chemical causing skin allergy symptoms as well as
allergic reactions in the digestive tract, nasal passages, and lungs.
A
skin allergy can take many forms such as hives and contact dermatitis.
Hives are one of the most common skin allergy reactions. It is estimated
that up to 25 percent of people in the United States will experience
hives at least once. The symptoms of skin allergy hives are:
- Raised red bumps with pale centers ranging
from a half-inch to several inches wide
- Various shapes of the bumps
- Changes in the hives’ size, shape,
and location
Hives
caused by a skin allergy are not contagious and are generally brought
about by exposure to certain plants, foods, medications, or insects.
Skin allergy related hives usually last for up to 4 days.
Contact
dermatitis is another common skin allergy symptom. As the name implies,
contact dermatitis is the result of an allergen coming into direct
contact with the skin. A skin allergy is not the only cause of contact
dermatitis; it is possible to have contact dermatitis from something
else besides an allergic reaction. Usually you can tell skin allergy
related contact dermatitis because the skin allergy symptoms occur
on the site where the allergen (i.e. the plant, soap, etc.) touched
the skin. Symptoms of contact dermatitis from a skin allergy include
red rash, bumps, itching, blisters that may drain fluid, and red
dry-skin patches.
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