Itchy rash after touching Christmas tree?

[hmcAsWas]

DD (15) developed itchy hives after helping put up the Christmas tree yesterday which suggests some kind of allergy (she doesn't have hayfever or anything like that, but she does get eczema from time to time).

Should I be concerned? Does this mean that she could also be allergic to pine nuts which is in pesto and other food stuffs? Or is there no relationship. Anyone in the know?

[Thishatisnotmine]

I get this every year. The needles prickle me and end up as dry red spots all over my hand and wrists. I wash my hands well after finishing the tree and apply lots of moisturiser. I so have allergies but am fine with pine nuts!

[LightastheBreeze]

DH gets this quite badly from these sort of trees, so we have an artificial one. He has asthma and hay fever but doesn't have any food allergies as far as we know, I get a rash like this from Llelandi, another sort of pine tree but can eat pine nuts

[Wh0KnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

Do plasters give her eczema? They do me and when I had patch testing for my eczema and was told that the gum which is the allergen in non-sensitive plasters is a pine derivative and to take care with pine products. Can't remember it's name but begins with C, you could google. I don't have a problem with Christmas trees but the same ingredient is in Lipcote as I found to my cost. I don't think there's any link to pine nuts, I eat them, but you might want to check.

[Branleuse]

im a bit allergic to the christmas tree too. I take an antihistamine if i get prickled otherwise it itches like fuck for ages.

Im not allergic to pine nuts

[hmcAsWas]

Thank you all - its looking like it does not necessarily imply a problem with pine nut consumption then, which is good. I think I will just make a routine appointment with the GP for allergen testing but not worry too much about it in the interim.

I think she is okay with plasters Wh0

[LightastheBreeze]

That's interesting Wh0Knows, I am allergic to plasters and looked it up and its Colophonium, I also had a very bad reaction to sticky fly strips when I got myself a bit tangled up in one as I was putting up up, and its in those also.

[quirkychick]

Me too, this year, as we had quite a prickly tree. We usually we have a softer type and it's fine (blue spruce?). I put the lights on with gardening gloves as it was unbearable, but needed to take them off for the small decorations. I washed my hands and used lots of unscented handcream which helped, I am asthmatic and can get eczema on my hands, but I wasn't sure if it was just so prickly rather than an allergy.

[quirkychick]

Oh, Wh0knows I used to be allergic to plasters when I was younger, the plastic type not the fabric ones. Very interesting.

[Haudyerwheesht]

Dd's asthma always flares up around real Christmas trees. No other known allergies though.

[goose1964]

It's a reaction to the oils in the bark and branches ,pine nuts don't contain it so there shouldn't be a problem

[ColinsVeryJolly]

I get this from my artificial tree, it's a reaction to the branches scratching on my arms. It happens if anything scratches my skin, dermagraphism I think it's called.

[quirkychick]

The type of tree we normally get, doesn't bother me at all the needles are much bigger and softer. They had run out and we have a smaller, pricklier tree (I didn't buy it so, not sure the type), so could be that it's so prickly or the oils in the bark and branches...

[LegoCaltrops]

DH & I are both allergic to evergreen sap. I have a number of allergies, including sticking plasters (they make me itch & then blister!) However it's DH's only allergy. We invested in a decent artificial tree. We can both eat pine nuts just fine.

[LegoCaltrops]

Oh yes - DH also has mild dermatographia.

[quirkychick]

Lego that's exactly how I used to react to plasters, though I seem to be better now. It's definitely not the prickles, dd1 touched the tree and said it was prickly but no marks on her skin (she gets eczema too), I also put something back on and red marks and itching. I've just taken antihistamine . We'll have to get the other type of tree next year...

[GreyMorning]

i think I will just make a routine appointment with the GP for allergen testing but not worry too much about it in the interim.

Don't do this. You know she is allergic to the Christmas tree so you don't need a test to prove it. My son has food allergies and the consultant says that broad spectrum testing is largely useless as it can throw up false positives, DS's blood shows an allergic reaction to a certain food, yet he can safely eat it.

If you have any other allergy concerns keep a diary of what she's eating and what she comes into contact with that causes an allergic reaction.

Make sure you have antihistamines close by in case of reactions in the future.

[GreyMorning]

As an aside, I can't have pine cones in the house as they make me itch, so we don't have them in the house. It's pretty easy to manage.