Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Tree Pollen Allergies for 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyTree allergies are some of the most common and frustrating seasonal allergies of them all. When spring comes around, tree allergy season can really kick into gear, causing people all around the country to have allergy symptoms.
Depending on where you live, some tree allergies may be more prevalent than others. It’s important to figure out which trees you’re allergic to, so you can limit exposure and treat your symptoms.
Wyndly can help with a personalized allergy treatment plan. Set up your allergy consultation with Wyndly today to start your journey toward long-term allergy relief, or read on to learn more about tree pollen allergies.
Common Symptoms
Tree allergies share many symptoms with other outdoor allergies. If you are allergic to tree pollen, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms.
- Sneezing
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Red eyes
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Coughing
- Scratchy throat
- Aggravated symptoms for those with asthma
As with most airborne allergens, tree pollen allergies can be more difficult to deal with if you have asthma. Your tree allergies may bring on symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Be sure to keep an inhaler with you if you’re prone to asthma attacks from allergies.
Where Is Tree Pollen Found?
Tree pollen can be found anywhere trees are. Even if there aren’t any trees in your immediate vicinity, tree pollen is very light and can travel for miles. In short, it’s pretty difficult to avoid tree pollen altogether.
What Are the Types?
There is a diverse array of tree species, but not all trees have highly allergenic pollen. Certain species are much more allergenic than others.
Some of the types of trees that commonly cause issues for allergy sufferers are:
- Oak
- Birch
- Pine
- Maple
- Cedar
- Elm
- Ash
- Sycamore
- Pecan
- Walnut
- Willow
- Alder
- Hickory
- Beech
- Aspen
- Cottonwood
- Boxelder
- Olive
- Poplar
- Mulberry
Just because you have tree allergies doesn’t mean you’re allergic to all trees. You can be allergic to multiple species, or you may only be allergic to one species. That’s why allergy testing is important, so you can find out which trees are causing your symptoms.
When Is Tree Pollen Allergy Season?
Tree pollen allergies are most prevalent in spring, but some trees can start producing pollen early in winter, and some can produce pollen into the summer. It all depends on the climate you live in and the species of trees in your area. The most common time for tree allergy season is from late February to May.
Foods to Avoid
You may be surprised to learn that tree pollen allergies can cause you to have an allergic reaction to certain foods. The immune system occasionally confuses similar proteins in certain foods to the proteins in tree pollen.
These are some foods to watch out for if you have tree allergies:
- Almonds
- Apples
- Bananas
- Celery
- Cherries
- Figs
- Hazelnuts
- Kiwis
- Parsnips
- Peaches
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Soy
- Strawberries
Typically, this allergic reaction will manifest as oral allergy syndrome or OAS. OAS causes the mouth, throat, or lips to feel itchy or tingly after eating cross-reactive foods. If you have a severe reaction in response to any food, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Testing and Diagnosis
The multitude of tree species and the overlap of pollen seasons can make it difficult to diagnose the specific cause of a tree allergy — or if tree allergies are even what you should be worrying about. Fortunately, allergy testing can identify your specific allergen so you can start managing and treating your symptoms. Wyndly makes allergy testing easy with an at-home test; with a simple finger prick, you can find out what allergens are causing you issues. Buy your at-home allergy test from Wyndly today.
This is how different allergy testing options work:
Old-Fashioned Method: Skin Prick Test at Your Doctor’s Office
Skin prick testing requires you to go to the doctor to find out your allergen triggers. It’s often uncomfortable, and it takes time out of your day. You’ll go to the doctor’s office, they’ll administer a test where they prick or scrape your skin with a needle tipped with different allergens, and then they’ll observe the areas they pricked for itchiness, redness, or swelling. All in all, it’s not a pleasant experience. Instead, you can save yourself time and pain by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Order Wyndly’s at-home allergy test. We ship our CLIA-certified test straight to your door.
- Take the allergy test and send it back to us. Just do a quick finger prick test to provide us with a blood sample and mail it back when you’re done.
- Receive your personal allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through a treatment plan.
Unlike self-diagnosis, an allergy test can reveal the full breadth of your allergies. This way you know exactly what you’re allergic to and how you can treat your symptoms.
Treatment and Remedies
Once you’ve identified the cause of your tree allergies, you can take steps to limit your exposure, manage your symptoms, and treat your allergies at the source. There are several ways you can find relief from your tree allergies.
Limiting Exposure
Limiting exposure can be tough with tree pollen since it’s nearly everywhere. However, there are steps you can take to keep pollen exposure to a minimum, such as:
- Keep windows closed and use A/C: Pollen can easily float into your home through open windows. Make sure your windows are shut during allergy season and that you’re running the A/C instead. Installing a HEPA filter on your A/C system can also help keep pollen out.
- Keep an eye on the pollen count: Using an app or website, you can easily find out how high pollen levels are on any given day. Just check the count before you leave in the morning so you know if you should limit outdoor time. You can also prepare for high pollen count days by wearing a dust mask and sunglasses when you go outside.
- Shower after being outside: Pollen sticks to the hair and skin. Make sure to shower if you’ve been outside during the day.
- Wash clothes: Pollen also sticks to clothes. Washing your clothes frequently can keep pollen off your outfits. Be sure to wash bedding frequently as well.
- Take shoes off when you come inside: Take your shoes off when you come in the door to make sure you’re not tracking pollen around your home.
- Wipe pets down: When your pet goes outside, they can get tree pollen in their hair or fur. Make sure to wipe them down with a towel when they come in to get as much pollen off as possible. You may also want to give them more baths during allergy season.
Medications
Limiting exposure can work to a point, but airborne allergens like pollen are incredibly difficult to avoid completely. Most people need extra relief in the form of allergy medications. These are a few that might benefit you and provide temporary symptom relief.
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Over-the-counter medications: Over-the-counter allergy meds are easy to obtain and widely available.
- Antihistamines: Histamine contributes to allergy symptoms. With an antihistamine, you can inhibit your body’s histamine production and get some short-term relief.
- Eye drops: Pollen can easily get in your eyes and cause itchiness and watering. Eye drops can flush the pollen out and provide you with some relief.
- Nasal sprays: Nasal sprays can flush pollen out of your nasal passages and reduce swelling and inflammation, which causes runny or stuffy noses.
- Prescription medications: If over-the-counter options aren’t working, you may want to consider consulting your doctor about prescription allergy options.
While allergy medications are great for temporary relief from your symptoms, they’re not a treatment for the cause of allergies. If you want long-term relief from your tree pollen allergies, you may want to consider immunotherapy.
Sublingual Immunotherapy Allergy Drops
Immunotherapy introduces small, gradually increasing amounts of your allergen to your immune system. This process re-trains your immune system to ignore these harmless allergy triggers instead of responding with an allergic reaction. Most people are familiar with subcutaneous allergy shots, but sublingual allergy drops are just as effective — and they don’t require painful needles or a trip to the doctor. Sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops can be self-administered under the tongue in the comfort of your own home.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
When you’re ready to find long-term relief from your allergy symptoms, let Wyndly help. Our doctors create a personalized treatment plan specifically for your tree allergies, treating them at the source. Schedule an allergy consultation today if you want to find complete relief from your allergies.
Tree Pollen FAQs
These are some frequently asked questions about tree pollen allergies.
Can I move to a new area to avoid tree allergies?
Generally no. Even if a tree species isn’t in the new area you move to, you could be allergic to other species. Plus, if you don’t move far enough away, your original allergen may still be able to reach you.
Can I cut down trees I’m allergic to?
While getting rid of trees in your yard can prevent them from producing pollen, it won’t stop the other nearby trees in your area from doing so.
When is the worst time to go outside during allergy season?
Pollen counts are usually highest in the morning and peak by midday. The best time to be outside is usually late afternoon or evening.
