If you have allergies, you may need to take extra precautions while camping, as many outdoor activities can worsen allergy symptoms. You can develop respiratory symptoms or skin reactions from hiking, swimming, and just sitting around the campfire.
Mold allergiescan act up when you are exposed to outdoor mold, and insect allergies, likefire ant allergies, can cause a reaction too. Learn about the different types of allergies that can be exacerbated when camping and how to prevent them.
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Mosquito Allergy
While just an annoyance for most people, some people can experienceallergic reactions as a result of mosquito bites.
Allergic reactions to mosquitos commonly include:
Rare reactions may include full body hives, trouble breathing, and evenanaphylaxis.
You can wear long-sleeved shirts and pants or use mosquito-repellant to avoid mosquito bites. If you tend to develop allergies, you can talk to your healthcare provider about and taking anantihistaminebefore exposure to help reduce symptoms of your mosquito allergy.
Poison Oak, Poison Ivy, and Poison Sumac
Plants from theToxicodendronfamily—poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac—are a common cause of allergiccontact dermatitis.
Coming into contact with these plants results in the deposition of oils from the leaves onto the skin, which can cause an itchy rash consisting of a linear, or streak-like group of blisters or bumps.
The best prevention is to learn how to recognize andavoid these plants. If you come into contact, you should wash the exposed area of your skin with soap and water immediately, as well as any fabrics that might have come into contact with the oils.
And if the rash still occurs,treating the areawith topical corticosteroid creams can help alleviate it.
Poison Ivy vs. Poison Oak Rash: What Are the Differences?
Allergic Rashes From Swimming
Swimming in a freshwater lake or in the ocean can lead to itchy rashes, often a few hours after water exposure.
Sunscreen Allergies
Sunscreen can protect you from skin damage and reduce your risk ofskin cancer. Allergic reactions to sunscreen are due to contact dermatitis, which occurs on the skin within hours of sunscreen application. This reaction can occur anywhere the substance is applied to the body.
In some cases, the combination of UV light and chemical exposure can cause allergic contact dermatitis that is worse in parts of the body with more sun exposure.
The Proper Way to Apply Sunscreen
Barbeque Allergy
Wood, such as mesquite, oak, cedar, and hickory can add flavor to barbequed food. Wood is obtained from trees that produce pollen to which many people with seasonal allergies areallergic. The allergen in the pollen also is present in the wood of the tree; these allergens survive combustion and remain in smoke once the wood is burned. Therefore, it is possible to be allergic to the smoke, and to any food barbequed with the smoke.
If you have this problem, you can try to avoid direct smoke exposure or cook food over a fuel source, such as propane or butane.
Allergies to Insect Stings
Allergic reactions to insect stingsfromyellowjacketsand wasps can be extremely dangerous.
Treat local reactions with ice packs and oral antihistamines; severe allergic reactions require the use of injectable epinephrine and immediate medical care.
How to Spot and Treat a Caterpillar Rash
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Seda J, Horrall S.Mosquito Bites. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Poisonous plants.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cercarial Dermatitis (Swimmer’s Itch).Heurung AR, Raju SI, Warshaw EM.Adverse reactions to sunscreen agents: epidemiology, responsible irritants and allergens, clinical characteristics, and management.Dermatitis. 2014;25(6):289-326. doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000079Kashyap RR, Kashyap RS.Oral allergy syndrome: an update for stomatologists.J Allergy (Cairo). 2015;2015:543928. doi: 10.1155/2015/543928Przybilla B, Ruëff F.Insect stings: clinical features and management. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2012;109(13):238-48. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2012.0238
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Seda J, Horrall S.Mosquito Bites. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Poisonous plants.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cercarial Dermatitis (Swimmer’s Itch).Heurung AR, Raju SI, Warshaw EM.Adverse reactions to sunscreen agents: epidemiology, responsible irritants and allergens, clinical characteristics, and management.Dermatitis. 2014;25(6):289-326. doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000079Kashyap RR, Kashyap RS.Oral allergy syndrome: an update for stomatologists.J Allergy (Cairo). 2015;2015:543928. doi: 10.1155/2015/543928Przybilla B, Ruëff F.Insect stings: clinical features and management. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2012;109(13):238-48. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2012.0238
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Seda J, Horrall S.Mosquito Bites. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Poisonous plants.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cercarial Dermatitis (Swimmer’s Itch).Heurung AR, Raju SI, Warshaw EM.Adverse reactions to sunscreen agents: epidemiology, responsible irritants and allergens, clinical characteristics, and management.Dermatitis. 2014;25(6):289-326. doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000079Kashyap RR, Kashyap RS.Oral allergy syndrome: an update for stomatologists.J Allergy (Cairo). 2015;2015:543928. doi: 10.1155/2015/543928Przybilla B, Ruëff F.Insect stings: clinical features and management. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2012;109(13):238-48. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2012.0238
Seda J, Horrall S.Mosquito Bites. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Poisonous plants.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cercarial Dermatitis (Swimmer’s Itch).
Heurung AR, Raju SI, Warshaw EM.Adverse reactions to sunscreen agents: epidemiology, responsible irritants and allergens, clinical characteristics, and management.Dermatitis. 2014;25(6):289-326. doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000079
Kashyap RR, Kashyap RS.Oral allergy syndrome: an update for stomatologists.J Allergy (Cairo). 2015;2015:543928. doi: 10.1155/2015/543928
Przybilla B, Ruëff F.Insect stings: clinical features and management. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2012;109(13):238-48. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2012.0238
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