Allergy to cold on the skin of the feet

After the very first minutes spent outdoors, some people develop a runny nose, redness of the face, itchy skin and dry skin - this is how an allergy to cold manifests itself.

Cold allergy - causes

After the lingering autumn slush, the first winter frost seems refreshing and invigorating. However, for some of us, these joyful feelings pass quickly due to the occurrence of unpleasant symptoms.

Allergy to cold is not necessarily a winter phenomenon. It can appear at any time of the year, as soon as the air or water changes its temperature downward.

The origins of this disease lie in the body’s weak defenses, chronic diseases of the ENT organs, gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity, and women are much more susceptible to it than men.

Until relatively recently, cold allergy was not an officially recognized disease. Experts denied it, since no allergen was present in this case. However, there is still an irritant that causes characteristic manifestations on the skin and in other places - it is cold.

Epidermal cells located closer to its surface are very sensitive to hypothermia in some people. Their reaction to changes in air temperature is the release of histamine, which leads to allergies.

Low temperature intolerance is rarely present in healthy and strong people. This sign is a signal of weak immunity and the development of other diseases in the body.

The causes of cold allergies are:

1. in general weakening of the body (sometimes due to helminthiasis);
2. long-term use of antibiotics;
3. in the presence of infection of various nature;
4. disruptions in the endocrine system;
5. in a painful reaction to stress.

Cold allergy in a child

Cold allergies in children, especially very young ones, are a fairly common occurrence, since their immunity has not yet been formed. Often, a hereditary factor can be traced to the appearance of this disease: if the father or mother were especially sensitive to cold weather, then the child will also have an allergy to cold.

This disease can be acquired by children even after simply visiting the pool or eating ice cream. So parents shouldn’t be surprised why their child shows all the signs of an allergy from frost, even though it’s summer outside.

Allergy to cold - symptoms

How does an allergy to cold manifest itself? The main signs are redness of the skin, not protected by clothing, from exposure to low-temperature air. Unlike the usual blush caused by the dilation of blood vessels and a rush of blood to the cheeks after returning indoors from the street, such redness does not go away for a very long time.

General symptoms of cold allergy present in most people susceptible to this pathological phenomenon:

1. Swelling, redness of the skin on the face and rashes on the hands.
2. Burning and itching of the skin on the cheeks and forehead - as a reaction to the wind and hypothermia.
3. Rash in the form of pimples and small blisters on closed areas - thighs, ankles or all over the body.
4. Signs of respiratory diseases (sneezing, runny nose), which appear in the cold, but disappear in a warm room.
5. Weakness and headaches.

Allergy to cold on fingers

An allergy to cold on the hands is expressed in severe drying of the skin, which becomes very vulnerable, sometimes cracks and then small drops of blood can be seen on its surface.

Cold allergy on the face

An allergy to cold on the face is redness and dryness of the skin, which often begins to itch and peel, plus some signs of a cold.

Allergy to cold on feet

Cold allergy on the legs is a rash in the form of hives, peeling, swelling of the skin, pain in the joints of the knees. The causes of allergies to cold in the lower extremities often lie in the neglect of warm clothing and the girls’ predilection for thin tights even in winter.

Diagnostics

Poor cold tolerance is diagnosed using special tests. Most often they are done on young children to exclude the possibility of other diseases.

Testing the skin's response to low temperatures involves applying ice to the forearm and observing this area of ​​the body. If a problem is present, the skin will “respond” to the irritant immediately or after some time. Not only redness, but also swelling and small rashes will appear in this place.

Allergy to cold in adults can be detected in another way. The patient is taken to a room with a temperature of 4 degrees for half an hour, and then they study how his skin has changed. However, this method is now practically not used due to its negative impact on the health of an allergic person.

In addition, allergies to frost and general sensitivity to low temperatures can be tested using a special Temptest device. And blood tests - biochemical and general - will help determine whether poor functioning of the liver and kidneys, as well as various infections, are affecting the decrease in immunity.

A set of skin protection measures

What to do if you are allergic to cold? First, consult a doctor, since self-medication can be ineffective and sometimes harmful.

In this case, it is hardly possible to completely eliminate contact with allergens (cold air and water), but the time spent outside should be reduced to a minimum.

Treatment of cold allergies includes a set of measures designed to reduce or eliminate its unpleasant consequences.

Medications - antihistamines and anti-allergy tablets are used only for medical prescription, with the onset of a critical time of year for an allergy sufferer.

The doctor may recommend topical medications:

Cold allergies on the face are prevented by applying oily creams to this area of ​​the skin to protect it. This procedure should not be carried out just before going outside, but at least half an hour before.

Cold allergies on your hands will not damage your skin if you wash your hands with soap that does not dry out and constantly apply nourishing cream to them.

Help from the first aid kit: tablets and ointments

An allergist will competently advise you on how to treat an allergy to cold. Medicines prescribed during an exacerbation may have a traditional pharmacological form - tablets, or may be injections to restore local immunity.

To treat cold allergies, medications such as Diphenhydramine, Suprastin, Tavegil are often used.

To minimize the adverse reaction from antihistamines in the form of drowsiness and excessive relaxation, doctors recommend third-generation drugs of this spectrum - Cetirizine, Fexofenodine, Erius.

Allergy to cold on the feet can be treated, among other things, by rubbing zinc ointment or Panthenol into the affected area. They heal wounds and help restore the skin.

To treat allergic manifestations in a child, in parallel with concomitant diseases, antibiotics are sometimes used. But after a course of taking them, you should definitely start restoring the baby’s intestinal microflora in order to avoid dysbacteriosis.

If the allergy is long-lasting and painful, hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed for its treatment. But it is better to use them for a long time due to numerous side effects.

Traditional methods of treating allergies

When deciding how to get rid of cold allergies, you must be prepared to radically change your usual lifestyle in many ways.

It is impossible to cure and prevent the manifestations of this disease unless:

1. dress warmly and according to the season;
2. exclude potentially allergic foods from the diet - citrus fruits, mushrooms, chocolate, coffee;
3. eat more fatty fish, olive and other vegetable oils - this nourishes the skin from the inside;
4. try to breathe outside exclusively through your nose.

Can traditional medicine help with this specific type of allergy? In some cases - quite.

Allergy to cold, the symptoms of which are more dermatological in nature, can be perfectly treated with badger fat. It is used as a lubricant for exposed areas. You can also use fat orally - on an empty stomach, 1 tbsp. spoon.

Compresses made from vegetable oil will help the affected areas of the hands: after lubricating your hands, fingers and palms, be sure to wear gloves.

Cold allergies, the causes of which are similar to those that cause a cold, can be prevented by the use of prophylactic agents: a decoction of raspberry roots, beet juice, tea with string and chamomile.

You can use folk remedies only after consulting a doctor. After all, allergy sufferers are people vulnerable to various factors, and some herbs themselves can trigger allergies.

Cold allergy is one of many types of negative responses of the body to various external stimuli. The very name of this allergy suggests that an allergic reaction occurs under the influence of cold temperatures.

Until recently, medicine rejected such a diagnosis, since there is no allergen that provokes a specific reaction of the body as such, there is only a physical effect - cold. No allergen means no allergies.

But when exposed to cold air, some sensitive people experience a significant release of histamine, which causes reactions similar to other types of allergies - the development of swelling, vasodilation, redness and itching of the skin and mucous membranes. This is a response to a decrease in the temperature of the skin's thermal receptors.

Causes of cold allergies

Why does cold allergy occur? Medicine does not yet know the exact answer to this question, but with the following factors, particularly sensitive people may experience this strange type of allergy:

1. When there is a sharp change in a person’s presence in an environment with normal air temperature to an environment with low temperature - in winter, especially in windy weather
2. In contact with cold water - in everyday life when washing dishes, cleaning, swimming in open water
3. When drinking very cold drinks or cold food

Allergy to cold often develops after severe illness and long-term treatment with antibiotics; it is believed that it has a genetic predisposition; it can occur against the background of infectious diseases (for example, tuberculosis) or parasitic diseases (roundworms in children, adults, pinworms in children, giardiasis.

In a strong, hardened organism with a strong immune system, such temperature changes do not cause any reactions.

However, in the event of a decrease in protective forces, systemic disorders, serious illnesses, or metabolic disorders in the body, this type of allergy may occur. Stress, as we know, is the most important risk factor for immune failure, so stress-resistant people tend to get sick less often and have good health.

Provoking factors for the development of cold allergies

1. The presence of allergic reactions to other irritants - food, pollen (allergy to poplar fluff), household allergies
2. Some infectious diseases - mumps, measles (see symptoms of measles in adults), mycoplasma pneumonia, rubella
3. Thyroid diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus, cancer
4. The presence of chronic diseases - sinusitis, sinusitis, various worm infections, intestinal dysbiosis
5. Recurrent skin diseases – neurodermatitis, eczema, psoriasis
6. Hereditary factor

There are cases when such a reaction is hereditary in nature, that is, it is inherited and most often it is the body’s reaction to windy weather than to cold. The symptom of such an allergy is a burning sensation, not itching of the skin.

How does an allergy to cold manifest itself?

How does an allergy to cold manifest itself? Symptoms of such an allergy can have various forms of manifestation - from mild symptoms that disappear some time after contact with a cold environment, to serious recurrent skin rashes.

Skin manifestations are the most common signs. These include redness, swelling, itching of open areas of the body that have come into contact with a cold environment. After some time, the skin begins to hurt, itch, and may become blistered, similar to hives.

Cold allergies in children can even affect the inner surface of the legs, thighs, knees and manifest themselves in the form of hives. The rash is pink, dense, itchy, but goes away within a few hours. There are cases when, after a cold, the skin not only turns red and itches, but also becomes covered with a layer that begins to peel off, as with dermatitis. Sometimes bruises appear at the site of the allergy over time.

Most often, cold allergies occur on the face and hands, since these places are more exposed to the external environment, they are always open and more vulnerable.

General malaise - increased blood pressure, shortness of breath, headache and weakness.

Allergic rhinitis - the appearance of a runny nose, sneezing when going out into cold air. Swelling of the mucous membranes of the nose can either greatly complicate nasal breathing or completely block it, and upon returning to a warm room, all allergy symptoms disappear.

Signs of allergic conjunctivitis are tearing, swelling around the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, pain in the eyes. Hypersensitivity to bright light also occurs. To differentiate the diagnosis, you should definitely consult an ophthalmologist and dermatologist, since if profuse lacrimation occurs in the cold, this may be a sign of tick-borne infection (demodex) or fungus, etc.

Diagnosis of cold allergies

If you experience similar symptoms, then first of all you need to visit a therapist and an immunologist - an allergist. After a set of diagnostic and laboratory tests, it will be possible to accurately determine the cause of the allergic reaction. Cold allergies, the symptoms of which are similar to other types of allergic reactions, should be differentiated from a number of other diseases.

1. Sometimes in small children of preschool age, cold allergies on the face are similar to atopic dermatitis, neurodermatitis.
2. Often similar allergic symptoms occur with idiopathic dermatosis. With this disease, heat and cold skin receptors are deregulated. Swelling, lacrimation, sneezing, and difficulty breathing occur in both cold and heat.
3. Intolerance to the fur of some animals - rabbits, mink, chinchillas, woolen fabrics, sheep's wool - can also be confused with an allergy to cold. When putting on clothes and going out into the cold, a person returns with a rash and swelling of the nasopharynx; as a result, this can be assessed as a reaction to the cold, and not an allergy to wool or fur.
4. The situation is similar with perfume products. Typically, perfume is applied to the forearm, neck, face, and an allergic rash can be caused by cosmetics and perfumes, and not by cold.

When symptoms appear, it is important to correctly diagnose, and only after differentiating the signs of allergy can a doctor confirm this disease. Then, the question arises: is an allergy to cold treatable?

How to treat allergies to cold

The inability to eliminate an allergen such as cold makes the fight against such an illness quite difficult. If the patient is diagnosed with an allergy to cold, treatment in this case is purely symptomatic. It is only possible with the help of antihistamines to slightly reduce its manifestations, or to protect exposed areas of the body as much as possible from exposure to negative temperatures. You can reduce the occurrence of allergic reactions if:

1. Before going out into the cold, lubricate your face and hands with baby cream, for adults, with any rich cream. Lips should be lubricated with hygienic lipstick. This will partially protect uncovered areas of skin from cold air.
2. Badger fat has a very good effect; it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins B and A, which have only a positive effect on the skin. 20 minutes before going out into the cold, you can lubricate exposed areas of the skin with badger fat (lips, cheeks, nose, hands); if there is no serious liver damage, then you can consume it orally 40 minutes before. before breakfast, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fat.
3. Long warm gloves, preferably waterproof mittens for children, warm scarves, it is preferable to have hoods in outerwear - this will effectively protect from the wind and better retain heat.
4. Medicinal herbs, if there is no allergy to them, can also help with the development of urticaria, which appears as an allergy to cold. Burdock root, tricolor violet and walnut leaves are very useful. To collect, mix the raw materials in equal proportions, 2 s. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain, consume the resulting broth 60 ml 3 times a day.
5. Pine cones (see pine cones for stroke) or spruce cones also have beneficial properties; 4 cones are required to prepare the decoction; they should be ground in a mill or meat grinder, poured with water and simmered over low heat for half an hour. After straining the broth, you can wipe it on chapped and rough skin every evening.
6. If you have a cold allergy, the symptoms of which are minor, then gradual hardening and rubbing can strengthen the immune system and reduce the body's reaction. But for young children and people with intense symptoms, hardening is contraindicated, as it is fraught with the development of complications in the form of anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema, and laryngeal edema.
7. During the cold season, you can use antihistamines (A complete list of all allergy pills is in our article.)

This is a little-studied phenomenon that is observed in people with cold intolerance. Cold allergy is a peculiar reaction of the human body to sub-zero temperatures, with hives appearing on the skin. Externally, the pathology manifests itself when a person is exposed to rain or cold wind, contact of the skin with snow, cold water, ice, or consumption of chilled drinks and food.

What is cold allergy

Even doctors do not come to a consensus on the answer to the question “is there an allergy to cold?”, so many of them reject such a diagnosis, arguing that there is no allergen that causes a specific reaction in the body, and cold is a physical effect. However, when exposed to low temperatures, some people experience a release of histamine, which provokes allergic reactions - vasodilation, itching and redness of the skin or mucous membranes, and the development of edema. Cold allergy is a negative response of the body to an irritant in the form of low temperature.

Symptoms of an allergy to cold

This problem can manifest itself in any way, and the symptoms of an allergic reaction can follow each other or develop in isolation, forming one pathological process. In this case, the symptoms of an allergy to cold, as a rule, are complex and occur in a certain order. By tracking the timing of their manifestation, it is possible to distinguish cold urticaria from another disease with similar symptoms. The most common signs of pathology:

1. Quincke's edema;
2. bronchospasm;
3. red skin rashes;
4. anaphylaxis.

On hands

The manifestation of cold urticaria is not yet a fully understood pathological process. Doctors can only say that irritation on the hands from cold appears due to the body’s increased sensitivity to cryoglobulin (protein), which begins to transform when a person is exposed to low temperatures. As a result of this process, an allergic reaction occurs.

Cold hand allergies, which are common today, have a complex mechanism of development and manifestation that modern medicine cannot yet explain. Often the disease is disguised as dermatitis, so it is sometimes difficult for an ignorant person to distinguish between these pathologies. An allergy to cold begins to manifest itself with itching and flaking of the skin, after which rashes similar to hives begin to appear on the skin of the hands and the limbs swell.

In addition to hives, blisters may appear on the skin of the hands, the formation of which is accompanied by unpleasant sensations - increased itching and burning. As a rule, cold allergies resemble burns. In some cases, the body reacts more seriously to an irritant - snow, frost, cold rain or wind - and the hands immediately become covered with swollen red blisters filled with a transparent substance. These symptoms become more pronounced after warming up (person's contact with warm water or clothing). After half an hour or an hour, the skin becomes clean again.

On the face

Mastocytes, cells that are found in the upper layers of the skin, are responsible for the appearance of skin allergic reactions. Cold is a strong irritant for them, so the cells react negatively to it, stimulating the occurrence of swelling, peeling of the skin, headaches, and chills. Cold allergies on the face appear with reduced immunity, but it can also be triggered by various chronic (rhinitis, sinusitis, sinusitis, etc.) and acute viral diseases.

A healthy body copes with the effects of cold, while a weakened one cannot prevent the development of unpleasant symptoms. At the same time, normally, after walking down the street in winter in the cold, redness of exposed skin occurs due to a rush of blood into the vessels, which first narrow under the influence of low temperature, and then expand in warmth. This reaction in a healthy person lasts no more than 40 minutes.

How does an allergy to cold manifest itself? In people with this type of allergic reaction, low temperature provokes:

1. profuse lacrimation;
2. sneezing/coughing;
3. swelling of the tongue, larynx, lips, sinuses;
4. the appearance of compactions and blisters;
5. blue skin;
6. headache;
7. noise in ears;
8. chills;
9. dizziness;
10. mild cramps;
11. the appearance of pink or bright red spots.

On foot

Cold urticaria occurs in the lower extremities and has the appearance of a rash (more often the allergy affects the thighs and calf). Moreover, the disease is more often diagnosed in women, which is associated with wearing short skirts during cold periods of the year. An allergy to cold on the legs can only manifest itself after direct contact of the limbs with the allergen, and a reaction can be triggered by a temperature of +4 and below. Typically, symptoms of an allergic reaction on the feet are:

1. pain, discomfort in the joints of the knees;
2. dermatitis, which is accompanied by a small rash and peeling;
3. small blisters on the skin of a pink-red color;
4. chills, low-grade fever (rare).

Causes of cold allergies

Experts say that allergies to snow and frost are not an independent disease, but only a symptom of a somatic pathology. The likelihood of developing cold urticaria increases when another illness, characterized by a long duration, can greatly weaken the human body. In this case, cryoglobulin serves as a stimulator of the allergic reaction, and low temperature serves as the trigger.

The causes of cold allergies are numerous - from colds and infectious diseases, to chronic forms of pathologies, parasitic infestation and vitamin deficiency, which leads to weakened immunity. Doctors name the following factors that can cause a pathological skin reaction to cold:

1. drinking very chilled drinks or food;
2. direct contact with cold water (when swimming in ponds in winter, while cleaning, etc.);
3. a person leaving a warm room into a windy/cold environment.

Types of cold allergies

The skin's reaction to cold is not fully understood, however, experts who study this phenomenon divide it into several different types. What types of cold allergies are there? There are two main types of pathological reactions:

1. hereditary/familial (passes in an autosomal dominant manner from parent to child and manifests itself at an early age);
2. acquired.

There are other classifications of cold urticaria. So, experts highlight:

1. local allergy to cold (appearing in a certain limited area of ​​the body);
2. with delayed and immediate reaction to a stimulus;
3. systemic urticaria (severe pathological reaction of a generalized type).

Treatment of allergies to cold

You should not choose therapeutic measures to combat allergies on your own. If characteristic symptoms occur, contact a specialist who, taking into account the test results, will determine the original source of the disease and recommend adequate therapy. Treatment of allergies to cold is complicated by the specificity of the allergen - it is impossible to always avoid it. Patients with cold urticaria are treated symptomatically with antihistamines.

Cold allergy ointment

For mild symptoms of the disease, external agents are used - creams and ointments. You can buy them at any pharmacy, the main thing is to check the composition of the drugs, giving preference to those made from hypoallergenic raw materials. The ointment for cold allergies produces an effect after only a day of use, and the unpleasant symptoms of the pathology gradually disappear (burning sensation, peeling, itching, redness, etc.). Doctors recommend paying attention to the following remedies for cold urticaria:

1. Skin cap;
2. Gistan N;
3. Panthenol cream or spray;
4. D-Panthenol;
5. La-Cri (can be used after the rash disappears to prevent their reappearance).

Cold allergy medications

To be able to breathe freely and not suffer from such manifestations of cold allergies as red rashes on the skin, itching and peeling, adults should take antihistamines during periods of exacerbations. Thanks to their action, you can quickly eliminate the unpleasant manifestations of an allergic reaction. Popular, effective medications for cold allergies that you can take when the first signs of the disease appear are:

Treatment of allergies to cold with folk remedies

Alternative medicines can be used together with antihistamines to reduce the intensity of the allergic reaction. Treatment of cold allergies may include the use of vegetable and herbal juices, tinctures, decoctions, rubs, compresses, and ointments. Badger fat is often used to treat cold urticaria, which effectively eliminates the unpleasant symptoms of the disease. Treatment of allergies to cold with folk remedies can be carried out using the following recipes:

1. Herbal collection against cold urticaria. It is necessary to combine violet flowers, burdock roots and walnut leaves in equal proportions. Then pour 2 tbsp. l. mixture with boiling water (1 tbsp.), leave for an hour, then strain. The daily dose of the allergy medicine should be drunk 3 times.
2. Celery juice. Prepare a fresh drink from the root of the plant and take it three times a day, ½ tsp. before meals.
3. Tincture of pine bud oil against cold allergies. Pour young pine shoots (50 g) with the same amount of vegetable oil and leave the mixture for 5 months. Rub the resulting product easily into the rash areas 1-2 times a day.
4. Pine baths. Pine branches need to be boiled in water and then poured into a filled bath. The remedy will help eliminate the symptoms of cold urticaria if taken daily.
5. Oil tincture of herbs against allergies. Mix the same amount of burdock roots, calendula flowers, celandine herb, mint leaves. Pour 10 g of the product with oil in a 1:2 ratio and leave for a day. Keep the tincture in a water bath for 10 minutes, stirring the contents of the container. From the moment the product is ready, use it 3-4 times a day. After about 5-7 days, the skin will look better.

Prevention of cold allergies

People who have encountered this pathological reaction at least once must constantly follow preventive measures, since allergic diseases are chronic and tend to recur. Prevention of cold allergies implies compliance with the following rules:

1. before going out into the cold, you should try to cover as many unprotected areas of your skin as possible with clothes (be sure to wear mittens or gloves, a scarf, a hat);
2. use rich cream for face, hands, lip balm;
3. pay careful attention to the choice of warm clothes - prefer models made from natural materials;
4. use rubber gloves when cleaning;
5. wear outerwear with a hood - it will protect you from the winds.