Though am not allergic to wool, but my skin gets irritated after wearing woolen sweater. So if you experience acute itching after touching wool, then don’t think you’re allergic to it.
Of course wool allergy does exist and hypersensitive person may experience red inflamed bumps over the skin.
According to experts true wool allergy is very rare. People who see adverse signs after wearing woolen clothes, is due to an ingredient called lanolin.
Lanolin oil is present in sheep’s fleece can be found in cosmetic creams and other personal care products. So, if you’re allergic to this oil, then you’ll be sensitive to all those products including sheepswool.
A chemical reaction triggers when your immune system gets irritated with ingredients in the sheepswool (lanolin). In order to protect your skin, it tries to thwart them out. IgE antibodies are released for this purpose, which stimulates a chemical reaction and leads to different allergic symptoms.
Wool Allergy Symptoms
This natural fiber comes in different grades, thin or fine grades, scratchy fiber and cheap wool.
All these types irritate your skin and some may also trigger allergic reaction because of chemical ingredients.
Acute allergy signs can be reduce by anti-histamines. Moderate and severe allergy signs need to get diagnosed.
Skin irritation
Signs over skin can be red bumps, blisters or itching. In some cases, hypersensitive person may also experience contact dermatitis. The reaction occurs particularly over wrist or underarms.
Just by itchy or blisters don’t confirm that you’re allergic. As mentioned above, it’s not always allergic reaction that triggers itching. It’s recommended to consult dermatologist for diagnosis.
Nasal Congestion
Hypersensitive person will see sneezing and nasal congestion problem. Along with it, watery itchy eyes can also be experienced.
Other allergic reaction
If you experience any adverse reaction after wearing wool, then don’t hold wool fabric as a culprit. Chemicals and dust mites settled over old wool clothes also trigger the reaction.
Sometimes the person may experience rashes over the skin and mistaken it as an allergic reaction. Small bristly fibers of woolen clothes may irritate sensitive skin. However, you can avoid this skin irritation by wearing woolen sweater over other thick clothes.
So, it is pretty difficult to determine the allergen without diagnosis.
As soon as you experience any uncommon symptoms after wearing wool, don’t confirm that you’ve wool allergy.
Consult doctor, he/she will conduct a skin prick test to determine the allergen.
Once, the allergen is confirmed you can accordingly follow the prescription.