When people hear the term allergy, they think about pollen, dust, peanuts, or pet dander. Did you know you could be allergic to every day, lesser-known materials? Here are everyday things you can be allergic to as given by an allergy specialist doctor:

Cell phones

Cell phones have nickel, a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. When you are exposed to nickel, you experience reactions that occur 24-48 hours after exposure and they appear as an itchy rash in the exposed area.

To fix the issue, avoid exposing yourself to the cell phone. Also consider using soothing lotions, topical antihistamine creams, and corticosteroid creams in severe cases. When you use the right product, the rash takes two or more weeks to clear out completely.

Pants buttons

The buttons on your favorite pair of pants might be the source of your allergies due to the presence of nickel. If you wear low-rise underwear, you can expose your skin directly on the button, and you end up with a little, circular red rash.

To avoid this allergy, make it a habit to wear a layer between your pants and your skin. For example, you should tuck in your shirt. If you don’t like this, consider painting over the back of the button with clear nail polish.

Soaps and detergents

If you wash your clothes and your hands develop unexpected irritation, you could be suffering from irritant contact dermatitis. When this happens, you should note it’s not because the skin has an allergic reaction, but rather because it’s directly irritated, leading to loss of normal barrier skin function and painful rash.

You should treat irritant dermatitis the same way you treat contact dermatitis.

Wool

Wool is itchy, but if you are sensitive to lanolin, you can have a stronger reaction to apparel and blankets made from wool. If you are allergic to lanolin, you should know you can also find lanolin in lip balms, cosmetics, ointments, and shampoos.

To protect yourself, be ultra-cautious when making the purchase and only buy items labeled lanolin-free.

Food flavorings

While everyone loves them, you might be allergic to certain food flavorings. In most cases, the allergies show up in ethnic cuisines. For example, the fish stew might be flavored with shellfish, which can be extremely risky for someone with crab or shrimp allergy.

To avoid putting your life in danger, if you know you have any type of food allergy, ask whether a certain food has the ingredients you are allergic to before you take it.

Exercises

Everywhere you read, you are encouraged to exercise to look younger and live long, but did you know you could be allergic to exercises? These allergies are characterized by exercise-induced anaphylaxis that comes about as a result of the failure of the body to split protein.

As a result, the body temperature goes up as you are working out, and you experience rashes, shortness of breath, throat swelling, and in some cases, angioedema.

Now that you are allergic, should you stop exercising altogether? Absolutely, not. You can still be healthy even when you are suffering from exercise allergies. What you need to do is to choose a more relaxing and calmer training—for example, substitute cardio with yoga.

You also should avoid foods rich in protein, especially before exercising.

Condoms

Condoms are meant to protect you from diseases, but ironically they can make you sick. People that are allergic to condoms are those that are allergic to latex. While in most people, the allergy is simply a rash or an itch, in some people, the allergies are too extensive that some people suffer from anaphylaxis. This life-threatening condition includes difficulty breathing and swallowing.

If you are allergic to latex and condoms as a whole, you should consider using synthetic rubber or lambskin that won’t put your life in danger.

Take care

These are some of the things you can be allergic to without even knowing. As mentioned, the best way to protect yourself is to avoid the items as much as you can. You can treat most of the allergies using over the counter medications but if you have tried treating them without success, visit a reputable allergy doctor Germantown MD who will diagnose the condition and recommend the best treatment.