Can I get rid of my allergy to sea water?

Hi Rach,

There is no cure for allergies, unfortunately. Sometimes they do go away or lessen over time, but there is no way to know for sure if this will happen or when. One thing you might consider, however, is to see an allergist. Allergists can test you for specific allergies. It may be that there is something specific in seawater that you are reacting to.

If the allergist is able to determine what you are allergic to, then immunotherapy may be an option. Immunotherapy is a form of treatment where you are exposed to tiny amounts of what you are allergic to in the hopes you will eventually experience a lessening of your sensitivity. There is no guarantee this will work, but it does have proven effectiveness, so it's worth exploring with a specialist.

You might also ask if taking an allergy medicine ahead of time might reduce your sensitivity to seawater. I don't know that this would work, but it's worth asking.

To your health,

Kathi

Vitamin deficiencies can cause certain allergies but to my knowledge it has only been food allergies. I personally believe the rise in allergies we are seeing is due to the poor diets we eat. We have evolved a long way in medicine but have gone backwards when it comes to nutrition. The first thing you need to find out when you have an allergy is if it is a true allergy or intolerance.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/foods-allergy-intolerance

Before I developed an allergy to the ocean I developed an allergy to citrus fruit. Gradually over time it began to get worse. Starting out was a small blister around my mouth and on my "tushy" (I was 2). As I was exposed more to the allergy I began to have bigger blisters and itched from the top of my shoulders to the top of my head with even the slightest amount. When I first began to have a reaction to the ocean, my parents thought it was sun poisoning although I didn't burn easily. As I got older I started to realize I could stay at the beach all week and not break out as long as I did not get in the water. A few minutes in the water and I would have the same blisters I got from citrus fruit. When I was an adult, we went snorkeling where I was in the water for long periods of time. I had the most severe reaction I ever had. I had blisters surrounding my entire mouth, swollen face and the entire upper half of my back had blisters. The itching was immense from the top of my head to the top of my shoulders. Again I thought it was sun poisoning and called my doctor who called in medication. This made it worse. I went in to see my doctor and he was shocked. He said it was an allergic reaction to something in the water. He said there are so many chemicals and things in the ocean that I would probably never know exactly what it was but advised not getting back in. The ironic thing is I live in Florida. We grew up going to the beach and every yard has an orange tree in it. I craved citrus so bad I would eat the peeling sometimes and just put up with the blisters to get my fix. When I was pregnant with my son (2000) the citrus allergy went away. My doctors had no explanation other than the chemistry of our body changes with pregnancy. I began to question if it was truly an allergy or not. I started to do a lot of research but found no answers. After he was born, the allergy returned. Next I became pregnant with my daughter (2004) but the allergy remained through the whole pregnancy. I began more research off and on and began to see an increase in this allergy on boards. It wasn't until this year I came across this website:

http://southsidepride.com/0201/herbal.html

I began taking B-5 and waited 3 weeks to be safe and sure enough! It worked!!!!  I can enjoy as much orange juice, lemons, oranges, and grapefruit I want :o) I was excited to see if it would work for the ocean since I react the same way but it didn't. I was in the water waist deep for 30 min. one day and 10 the next and the blisters, itching and anxiety returned. The only difference was my skin did not itch or blotch (like before) during the time I was in the water. It was later that I broke out. So did the vitamins do anything? I am still on the search for answers but I believe there will be one one day. This allergy was unheard of a couple of years ago and it is starting to increase the same as the citrus. Until then I will continue the quest for answers. It sucks having to stay on the boat and out of the water on summer days. Good luck with yours!

Brandi

Have you had a blood test for fish and shellfish?  That could be causing your reaction.  Also, are you sure you're not using sunblock when you have these reactions?  My kid can't use any sunblocks except Aveeno Baby Sensitive.  If you have a cosmetic ingredient allergy and you mix it with water that may have traces of fish, then you could be causing the face allergy (if not sunblock, it's something in your makeup, cleanser perhaps?).

Oh, one more thing, you could also be allergic to latex used in snorkels and goggles and sunglasses.