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. |
