It seems that I’m developing a wool allergy (or should I be all chic and call it an intolerance?). The last few times I’ve worn wool cardigans (two different sweaters, by the way), I get incredibly itchy on my “inbows” (you know, that nameless place where your arm bends). Like I-want-to-scratch-until-I-bleed itchy. And I seem to have broken out in a few hives on my right arm. I’m hoping it’s temporary. My skin does weird things during seasonal changes, and my allergies are bad in general today. I wonder if there is a correlation?
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I have never been able to wear wool sweaters unless something was between my skin and it… but I have sentive skin and anything makes me itch but cotton lol… I hope that it clears soon!
I hope it’s just a seasonal thing!
should I be all chic and call it an intolerance?
No, hives sound like an allergic reaction. Now, if you had eaten the wool sweater and it gave you gas, that would be an intolerance. Or, for example, I found out yesterday that my eyeballs are very intolerant of fiberglass particles.
And yes, it could all be related. Since allergic reactions are a systemic thing, if one allergen is really irritating your system (like a spring pollen) you get much more sensitive to other allergens that might not normally set you off. Sorry to hear about that… actually, I was just reading somewhere that some people actually react to all the crap the wool is treated with, not the wool itself, but who knows. I’m the girl who can’t sleep on a down pillow because I wake up with my eyes swollen shut.
I agree with flygrrl. Your sensitivity is greater now that there are other allergens that are causing your immune system to react. Another possibility could be your skin is dry and the wool is irritating it. I only have problems with wool itch if the house is really dry and my skin is flaking.
Wool has *always* made me itch! 🙁 I had a pair of plaid wool pants once that *totally* made me uncomfortable. That sweater is probably rubbing up against your inner elbow a *lot*, too. My mom was in band in high school, and their uniforms were wool! Talk about miserable! She gets REALLY itchy with wool, too.