Overview

Hay fever is the common name for a pollen allergy, which causes symptoms such as sneezing, itchiness, and watery eyes. People with skin allergies may find that hay fever also triggers rashes.

When allergens from grass, tree, mold, and ragweed pollens come in contact with skin, those who are sensitive to the allergens in grass pollen may develop a rash.

What is a rash?

The rash is usually described as prurient red welts spread out over areas that have come into contact with the pollen, or can appear elsewhere if exposure is due to more internal processes. 

The body may either develop the rash when local pollen makes contact with the skin, or it may occur even if the pollen is inhaled or swallowed during normal respiration.

What is hay fever?

Hay fever is a common name for a pollen allergy that causes symptoms like sneezing, itching, and watery eyes. 

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, isn’t a virus.Hay fever, also called allergic rhinitis, causes signs and symptoms similar to a cold, like a running nose, irritated eyes, congestion, sneezing, and pressure in your sinuses. 

We typically associate hay fever with symptoms like watery eyes and a running nose, but this common allergy may affect your skin, too.

Can hay fever cause a rash?

The medical term for seasonal allergies like hay fever is allergic rhinitis, which occurs when an individual's immune system responds to an outside allergen, in this case, pollen.While other symptoms of hay fever are traced to breathing pollen and other allergens, hay fever rash is most often attributed to allergens coming into direct contact with the skin.

Seasonal allergies, sometimes called hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, are allergy symptoms that occur at specific times of year, typically when outdoors molds expel their spores, and trees, grasses, and weeds expel microscopic particles of pollen into the air in order to fertilize other plants.

A rash may be mistaken for hives. Environmental allergens such as cats and dogs may trigger hives, which appear as slightly raised, itchy red bumps, says Dr. Purcell. In most cases, the hives are not allergic, and they can be treated effectively with non-drowsy antihistamines.

How do I know if I have an allergy?

You have an allergy when your body overreacts to things that would cause no problems in most people.If you are allergic to an allergen, then an area will turn red, itchy, and irritated within 15 to 30 minutes. 

When you come in contact with the thing that you are allergic to, your body has a reaction trying to fend off harmful pathogens.Your immune system causes the mucous membranes of your nose, eyes, and throat to become inflamed and irritated because mucus in your nose works to expel the allergen.

The next time you are exposed to a harmless, airborne substance, antibodies to this benign substance tell your immune system to release chemicals like histamines into your bloodstream, which triggers the response that leads to signs and symptoms of hay fever.

Unlike other allergic reactions, which usually disappear once you are no longer exposed to the substance, hay fever is usually chronic, lasting months.

The best thing you can do to treat allergy-induced skin problems is try to avoid the allergen entirely. Like other allergies, in some cases, you can control your hay fever by not touching your allergen.

Takeaway

A person can get a rash in the hay fever season from a few other causes not related to allergies.Other allergy triggers may include specific foods, the stings of various insects, and even medications. While symptoms are usually confined to the nose, throat, and airways, allergic reactions to pollen can trigger other symptoms. 

Fortunately, allergies often cause skin breakouts that you can manage in the comfort of your home, and some may go away once the allergen is removed from your environment. 

DISCLAIMER    

Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice.