If you’re wondering what triggers allergies, today you’re gonna find out!

It’s allergy season, and if you’re suddenly all puffy and flushed, then I bet 5 dollars that I know what’s on your mind: Do I have allergies? If you’ve never had this issue before, we must warmly welcome you into the world of allergies. Don’t worry; we have plenty of napkins!

Also, the second thing that you might be wondering about is what triggers allergies. Well, the list is long and full of useful information, but today, for some reason, Mind-Bending Facts decided to take a different approach and discuss all the weird allergens that might trigger us.

Scientists estimate that there are 17 million adults and 7 million children in the United States who suffer from a minimum of one allergy. Medically speaking, allergies occur when our body’s defense system starts overreacting to a foreign substance that doesn’t fit well with it.

This substance is commonly known as an allergen. As a result, it triggers various symptoms, such as sneezing, watery eyes, body rashes, and life-threatening anaphylaxis in some of the worst cases. The most effective way to manage your allergies is to avoid or completely eliminate the given allergens and treat those symptoms with over-the-counter medication.

Since we covered the basic information about allergens and symptoms, let’s find out what triggers allergies!

Leather allergy

Well, if you notice a poison ivy-type rash on your feet after wearing your favorite leather shoes, then that’s what triggers your allergies. I’m sorry to break it to you, but you might be allergic to chemicals that are used in the whole leather tanning process.

In fact, this type of allergy is commonly known as contact dermatitis, which is a form of eczema, and you can easily diagnose it with a patch test. Contact dermatitis is used as a catchall term for some of the most common skin conditions that might result from contact with various allergens and irritants. There are over five million doctor visits every single year resulting from this type of rash reaction.

Water allergy

It’s a common fact that we need water to survive, and the fact that some people get hives or even urticaria from water is a very strange reality. However, there is such a thing as a water allergy, which is also known as aquagenic urticaria, a member of the family of physical urticarias.

If you’ve never heard of this term before, don’t worry, as urticaria is used as a medical term for hives. It describes the same red patches and wheels that appear on the skin, which can be very itchy. And if you’re wondering what exactly it is about water that triggers allergies, it’s a very good question, but unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer just yet.

In fact, this is one of the rarest types of allergies that exist, so next time you think about what triggers allergies, you might want to add water to that list.

Semen allergy

Here’s another strange example: some of the rarest allergies in women include semen allergies. According to many experienced doctors, this is the kind of allergy that you don’t get to see more than twice in your entire career. The main symptoms are hives and swelling in women’s intimate areas, which usually appear after intercourse.

In order to diagnose this kind of allergy, your doctor needs to perform a skin test. According to experts, the only way to avoid getting in contact with this “allergen” is to use a condom. But what about women who want to get pregnant? They have allergy shots on their hands to treat the semen allergy. If that doesn’t work either, the third option would be artificial insemination.

Allergy to exercise

Another thing on the list of things that trigger allergies is exercise. So next time someone tells you they’re allergic to exercise, it might not be a joke. This allergy is so rare that it has only been reported 1,000 times in the medical literature since the 1970s.

In some of the mildest cases, exercise only provokes urticaria. However, in more severe forms, it might lead to anaphylaxis, which is a dangerous condition that causes your blood pressure to drop, causing breathing problems. There are two main types of exercise allergies: the first occurs right after you eat something and within two hours of the exercise, and the other shows up without eating any food.

Allergy to the sun

Solar hives are another weird physical urticaria. If you’re allergic to the sun, you will start getting all kinds of hives. You can treat the hives with antihistamines and try to avoid the sun as much as possible. Luckily, the chances of you suffering from a sun allergy are wildly rare, but it’s still important to know these things.

If you notice hive symptoms, followed by itching and stinging 30 minutes after sun exposure, then you might want to consider the allergy factor. Usually, it all clarifies when you get out of the sun. The reaction might be caused by ultraviolet light, and while antihistamines might clear the reaction, they won’t fully prevent it.

Allergy to electricity

I bet you never even imagined that this might be something to add to our “what triggers allergies” list. However, it’s true: some people suffer from electricity allergies. Usually, they’re the folks who will claim they are extra sensitive to any type of electrical field generated by products, such as cell phones, microwaves, computers, and even power lines.

Common symptoms that come along with electricity allergies include headaches, weird ringing in the ears, fatigue, and various other complaints. Luckily, this is one of the allergies that you shouldn’t worry about; in the last couple of years, more and more studies proving the allergy doesn’t actually exist have surfaced.

Allergy to coins

If you handled a couple of coins and noticed a rash, then this is another common type of contact dermatitis. Only this time, it might be caused by nickel, one of the metals used to make coins. Nickel is a silvery metal that requires mixing with other metals to form alloys.

It can be found in coins, jewelry, zippers, and even the frames of your eyeglasses. But if you’re sensitive to it, you’re going to know. Nickel allergy comes in the form of a rash, and like any other allergen that is known to cause dermatitis, the best thing you can do is to avoid the substance altogether. So from now on, only with the card, please!

Touch allergy

“Don’t touch me; I’m allergic!” is the kind of phrase that you hear, and you immediately think, “How rude!” However, for some individuals out there, this might actually be the case. It’s called dermographism, and it’s another known type of physical urticaria, also known as “skin writing.”

Aren’t you curious to know why it is called that? Apparently, if you have this particular type of allergy, you can easily write your name on your skin with pressure from your fingernails since pressure on the skin causes an itchy hive reaction.

You might also develop an urticaria rash from tighter clothing items or simply after toweling off after a steamy shower. According to the latest research, dermographism affects somewhere around 4% of the population. Luckily, the rush goes away in only 30 minutes, and if you experience trouble with itching, you can use antihistamines.

If you’re curious to learn some of the most interesting geography facts related to America, here’s what we recommend: Most Americans Don’t Know These 10 US Geography Facts