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Are You Suffering From Adult-Onset Hay Fever? Tips For You

31 August 2016 by Joann Dunn

Many people go through their childhood and even through early adulthood without ever experiencing allergies or seasonal hay fever. However, this does not necessarily mean that they will never have any of these issues. In fact, they may even develop adult-onset hay fever and seasonal allergies. If you are a person who recently found yourself suffering from the sniffling, sneezing, itchiness, and general discomfort of hay fever for the first time as an adult, get to know more about what you can do to handle the situation and relieve your symptoms. That way, you can feel better as soon as possible and better handle your seasonal allergies this year and in years to come.

Make Sure You Take A Daily Allergy Medication

Hay fever and seasonal allergies are best managed with daily allergy medication. This can be a prescription medication given to you by an allergy specialist or an over-the-counter option.

Allergy medications have a cumulative effect in the body. Essentially, what this means is that if you only take the cetirizine, loratadine, or other allergy medication when your allergy symptoms are at their worst, it will only be marginally effective. However, if you take the medicine every day, your symptoms will be less severe overall and you will feel greater effects when you use the medication.

Try to Avoid Touching Your Face and Eyes

Your eyes, nose, and mouth are the areas most affected by your seasonal allergies and hay fever. When the pollen in the air gets to those areas of your face, they cause your body to react, causing discomfort and the majority of your allergy symptoms.

However, pollen does not just reach your face directly. Your hands and fingers may also have pollen on them without you knowing it. Because of that, you want to consciously make an effort to avoid touching your face and eyes. If you absolutely have to do so, make sure you have washed your hands immediately before doing so to prevent your hands from bringing allergens up to your face.

Use Cool Damp Cloths To Soothe Itchy Eyes

One of the most frustrating symptoms of hay fever is itchy eyes. And when your eyes itch, all you want to do is scratch them. However, scratching your eyes when they are irritated due to hay fever will only make them feel worse and can even cause them to swell and start to hurt.

Instead of making the situation worse, try to soothe your itchy eyes with a damp washcloth or towel. Get a clean towel and run cool or cold water over it. Wring it out so it is not dripping wet and them place it over your eyes. Leave it on your eyes for anywhere between a few minutes to a half an hour or so. The swelling and irritation in your eyes should reduce after you use the washcloth, and if nothing else, the itching will be less intense.

Now that you know a few of the steps that you should take if you have been diagnosed with adult-onset hay fever, you can be sure that you are taking the best possible care of yourself now and in the future. For more information and advice, talk to an allergy specialist at a center like The Regional Allergy Asthma & Immunology Center, PC.

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