June 16, 2025 | Black & Kletz Allergy
Now that Summer is almost here, people tend to spend a lot of time outdoors. Whether it be going to the beach, swimming at the neighborhood pool, playing baseball or softball, having a picnic, fishing, hiking, riding bicycles, gardening, or any other outside activity, people are more likely to be outdoors now than in any other season of the year. Since the general public is outdoors more in the Summers, it should be noted that there are a lot of outdoor allergens that they are being exposed to when outside.
The most obvious allergens that come to mind are the pollens, which are associated with late Spring and Summer. In the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metropolitan area, tree, grass, and ragweed pollens make up the bulk of the pollens that tend to cause allergy symptoms in susceptible individuals. Tree pollen generally is released at the end of February and it lasts until late May or early June. Grass pollen, on the other hand, usually begins to pollinate in late April or early May and lasts until the end of August. Ragweed, a type of weed that is quite bothersome to some individuals, generally begins to pollinate in mid-August and ends after the first frost which is usually in late October.
The classic symptoms associated with pollen allergies typically include one or more of the following symptoms: sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, itchy nose, itchy mouth, itchy eyes, watery eyes, redness of the eyes, snoring, headaches, and/or sinus congestion. In those individuals with asthma whose asthma is exacerbated by pollen, chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, and/or shortness of breath may also ensue.
In addition to pollens as a source for summertime allergies, one must be cautious of flying insects, particularly if that person has a history of hives or a systemic allergic reaction resulting from an insect sting. In the Washington, DC metro area, bees, wasps, yellow jackets, white-faced hornets, and yellow-faced hornets are the major flying insects that inject venom into humans. Some individuals will naturally develop an immune response to further stings with that species of insect. As a result, when that person is subsequently stung with the insect that they are allergic to, an allergic reaction occurs which may be mild, moderate, or severe. Severe allergic reactions to flying insects due to venom allergy may be life-threatening. Anyone who has a history of hives and/or a systemic reaction to a flying insect, whether it be mild, moderate, or severe, should seek a board certified allergist to get evaluated. Allergy blood testing or allergy skin testing is warranted and depending on the results of the tests, a course of venom immunotherapy (i.e., allergy shots to venomous flying insects such as bees, wasps, yellow jackets, white-faced hornets, yellow-faced hornets) may be necessary as it is very efficacious in preventing further severe allergic reactions to flying insects if stung again. In addition, a self-injectable epinephrine device (e.g., EpiPen, Auvi-Q, Adrenaclick) or intranasal epinephrine spray (e.g., Neffy) should be prescribed to anyone with a history of venom sensitivity and told to go to the closest emergency room if the epinephrine is used.
Another allergen lurking in the summertime is poison ivy. Together with poison oak and poison sumac, these plants are notorious for causing severe itching and rashes to sensitive individuals. In addition to the person who enjoys doing various activities outside, certain “outdoor” professions (e.g., construction workers, firefighters, farmers, landscapers) are at a higher risk to develop poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, or other plant-induced contact dermatitis than other professions where workers are primarily based indoors.
Certain groups of people or individuals are more prone to developing an allergy to sunscreen. Individuals who work outdoors on a regular basis such as farmers or construction workers, people with sun-damaged skin, and persons applying sunscreen to areas of damaged skin are more at risk. Females are more affected primarily because they are more prone to using cosmetics that can contain potentially irritating substances.
One should also remember that food allergies are always a problem, but may be a bigger problem if one is outdoors in a remote location far from an urgent care center or hospital. Thus, campers, hikers, and nature lovers should be very in tune to what foods they consume and avoiding those foods they are not supposed to eat. They should also carry their self-injectable epinephrine device (e.g., EpiPen, Auvi-Q, Adrenaclick) or intranasal epinephrine spray (e.g., Neffy).
Black & Kletz Allergy has board certified allergy and immunology physicians as well as a trained staff experienced in both the diagnosis and treatment of atopic diseases such as allergic rhinitis (i.e., hay fever), allergic conjunctivitis (i.e., eye allergies), asthma, contact dermatitis (e.g., poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, sunscreen allergy), and food allergies. We treat both adults and children and we have 3 convenient office locations in the Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland metropolitan area. Black & Kletz Allergy has offices in Washington, DC, McLean, VA (Tysons Corner, VA), and Manassas, VA. We have on-site parking at each location and the Washington, DC and McLean offices are Metro accessible. There is a free shuttle that runs between the McLean, VA office and the Spring Hill metro station on the silver line. Please call us if you, a family member, a friend, or a colleague suffer from any one of these maladies or any other allergic or immunologic problem and want to be evaluated and treated. You may also click Request an Appointment and we will respond within 24 hours of the next business day. The allergy doctors at Black & Kletz Allergy strive to keep up with the newest allergy and asthma treatment modalities so that cutting edge medicine is always at the forefront and available to our patients.
