Allergy

Is It Possible To Have A Skin Allergy To Sunlight?

A small number of people develop rashes after exposure to sunlight. There are a number of syndromes in which exposure to ultraviolet light, either outdoors or in a tanning salon, results in a rash. Some...

How Should Contact Dermatitis Be Treated?

Treatment of irritant contact dermatitis usually involves the cessation of the aggravating activity, initiation of intensive therapy with moisturizers, and if necessary, a short course of topical steroids. Long-term prevention of the rash may be...

What Is Contact Dermatitis?

Contact dermatitis is a broad term referring to an inflammatory condition of the skin caused by direct contact with an external substance. Irritant contact dermatitis is the most common type of contact dermatitis and involves...

Is This Eczema? Itch On Arms And Legs?

My Child Has Rough, Dry Bumps That Don’t Itch On Her Upper Arms And Legs. Is This Eczema? Rashes that do not itch are not usually eczema. Rough, dry bumps that feel and look like...

What Can I Do About My Child’s Eczema?

In any patient with atopic dermatitis, the first step is to moisturize the skin thoroughly. In the past, physicians routinely recommended avoidance of bathing, believing that it caused further drying of the skin. Most experts...

What is Allergic Eczema?

Allergic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic itchy skin rash. Atopic dermatitis most often begins in infancy or early childhood and resolves or improves in most cases by age 10 years. In...

I’ve Had Hives For 6 Months, What’s Causing Them?

I’ve Had Hives For 6 Months, And My Doctor Has Not Been Able To Find Out What’s Causing Them. Will They Last For The Rest Of My Life? Fortunately, chronic idiopathic urticaria spontaneously resolves over...

What Treatments Work Best For Hives?

Initial treatment of acute and chronic hives with or with-out angioedema relies upon oral H1 antihistamines. For many years, physicians believed that the older, sedating antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine and hydrox-yzine, were more effective for...

What Causes Hives?

Hives and angioedema can be divided into two categories based upon the duration of symptoms: acute and chronic. Acute hives are defined as lesions that come and go for a period of 6 weeks or...

What Are Hives?

Hives, also called “urticaria,” is a type of skin rash that appears as a red, raised welt ranging in size from half an inch to 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Most of the time,...

How Is Latex Allergy Treated?

After A Dental Cleaning, I Developed Swelling Of My Mouth. I Had Similar Problems While Blowing Up Balloons. What Does This Indicate? These two events both involved oral contact with latex rubber. Latex allergy is...

Will A Skin Test Tell Me If I Am Allergic To A Medication?

Currently, there are very few valid skin tests for the diagnosis of drug allergy. Drugs for which there are accepted testing protocols include penicillin and Amoxicillin, local anesthetics, muscle relaxants  for anesthesia (suxamethonium), and insulin....

Am I Allergic To Novacaine?

I Received A Novacaine Shot From My Dentist And Felt Very Dizzy And Sick To My Stomach. Am I Allergic To Novacaine? True allergic reactions to local anesthetics such as lidocaine (Novacaine) are extremely rare;...

What Is A Drug Allergy, And What Are The Most Common Symptoms?

Adverse effects from drugs are extremely common and can be divided into two broad categories. Drug intolerance represents a pharmacologic effect of a medication that creates undesirable symptoms. A good example is nausea and vomiting...

Do Allergy Shots Work For Insect Allergy?

Allergy shots for insect stings, also called venom immunotherapy, are the most effective known treatment to prevent allergic reactions to stings from honeybees, yellow jackets, hornets, paper wasps, and fire ants. Venom immunotherapy is offered...

How Can I Keep From Getting Stung In The Future?

For an allergic patient, there are a number of ways to prevent future insect stings. Suggestions include: Avoid using perfumes, scented soaps, and other sweet or pungent body products. Avoid wearing bright colors that might...

If I Have A History Of Severe Bee Sting Allergy?

What Should I Do The Next Time I Am Stung? If bees are flying around you after the sting, always stay calm and avoid swatting at them; this will encourage additional stings. After the sting,...

How Do I Know What Type Of Insect Stung Me?

It is often very difficult to determine the source of a sting. This is why it is recommended that patients who have experienced an allergic reaction to an insect sting undergo testing to a complete...