Dear Doctor
I have been having these red marks around my eyes for months. I’ve been using allergy medicine, but I do not think its allergies. Please tell me what it is and what I can use to treat it. Thank you.
Dear Patient
Allergy Tests
Since your symptoms can be caused by several conditions including allergies, I advise you to visit your nearest Dermatologist or Allergist so that they can do skin tests or allergy blood tests to determine if they are really being caused by allergies.
Allergies Treatment
Once the symptoms are confirmed to be the result of allergies it is important for you to understand that the treatment of allergies does not just involve taking antihistamines or anti-allergy medications.
The treatment of allergies should also include the following measures:
1. Identifying the Allergen
An allergen is a substance that your body reacts to and causes allergy symptoms.
Identifying the allergen is therefore a very important step because when you take the antihistamines to control the symptoms and expose yourself to the allergen again, the symptoms will keep reappearing. Therefore this is a very important step in the treatment of allergies.
Allergy blood tests and skin tests done by a doctor help you identify the allergen. If you are not able to have the allergy tests done, you can try to identify your allergens by keeping an Allergy Diary.
In the Allergy Diary you should note:
- The symptoms that developed
- The time they developed
- Where the symptoms developed and any suspected triggers like pets, food, drugs and cosmetics
- Measures taken including taking anti-histamines and the effects of those measures on your symptoms
- How the symptoms responded to the measures that you took
2. Making your home “Allergy Proof”
Allergy proofing you home can lead to less allergy symptoms and a higher quality of life. Things that you can do to make your home “allergy proof” include:
- Thoroughly cleaning your home. Special emphasis should be placed in the bedroom with the beddings being washed with water heated to at least 130 degrees to kill dust mites.
- Keeping your home cool at around 70 degrees F.
- Maintaining a low humidity of around 50%.
- Ensuring good ventilation in your home.
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