WoolWeenies Club

[Crankin]

Geez, Trisk, I would hate it if it were that! But, I don't think so, as it happens on days I am not outside, except to walk from my car to my office, etc. I generally pull my neck gaiter up over my mouth when I am x country skiing, etc. in the very cold weather, like below 20 degrees, so I am not inhaling the cold air, although it doesn't take long before I have that sucker pulled down because I sweat!
I hated wool as a kid, although I definitely wore it, always with something underneath. But, it made me feel itchy at times. Of course, it was not merino. And then, about 22 years ago, I had a bout of asthma/allergies where I also was getting the itchiness, red welts, and "lines" anywhere that a waist band, etc was close/tighter to my skin. Since I was living in AZ and it was summer time, like 112 degrees out, it sort of blows the cold theory. I don't dispute that this is some type of allergic, autoimmune reaction. But, it seems to appear and disappear when I am in a state of heightened reactivity, brought on by stress, not environmental things. The wool just brings it out.
I guess if I had decided to stay home and loll around after quitting my job, I wouldn't be having the stress I am having now. But then again, staying home with nothing to do made me stressed, too! I am heading out to ride my bike or run, depending on my mood, shortly. Since wool will be included,
I will report back.

[Dianyla]

I've also had problems with chronic hives as well as dermatographism. After eliminating all of the skincare/detergents, I ended up tracking my food intake and narrowed it down to a few culprits. The big one that I can almost prove is food colorings, especially FD&C Yellow #5. Others I'm not sure about are preservatives like sodium benzoate, etc. It was really hard to tell because I wouldn't get anything immediately after eating. It took days of a dose accumulating in my body, and then another external trigger like stress, menstruation, heat/pressure/friction, or being sick with the cold/flu.

Now that I've figured out the foods, I still occasionally get periods where I get lots of hives and it's usually something I've eaten (say at a restaurant or free food at work, god I need to learn to say no!) or because I'm sick.

[Crankin]

Food is a possibility; I've been through all of the allergy testing, blah, blah, blah 3 times in my life. I know I am allergic to peanuts, though it's not like anything happens if I am near them or inhale the fumes from someone else's sandwich. I developed a shellfish allergy (everything except scallops) when I was around 35, during that time I was having all of the asthma stuff. I had about 6 months to a year of not even being able to walk through a department store without feeling weird from the perfumes. I also would have reactions to wine, which I stopped drinking for ten years . I got sick of that and tested myself during the Passover seder one year and since I had no reaction, that was the end of it.
Kmehrzad, what you have sounds pretty much like what I am experiencing. There's no rhyme or reason to it and I am not going through allergy evaluation again. I went for a run, wearing smart wool socks, Ibex boy shorts, tights, and a light weight merino jersey with a lycra-ish base layer plus a thin fleece jacket. I had on smart wool glove liners, too. I felt a little itchy before and it's the same now. No hives. That pretty much only happens when I scratch.
OK, off to school.

[Eden]

Kmehrzad, what you have sounds pretty much like what I am experiencing. There's no rhyme or reason to it and I am not going through allergy evaluation again. I went for a run, wearing smart wool socks, Ibex boy shorts, tights, and a light weight merino jersey with a lycra-ish base layer plus a thin fleece jacket. I had on smart wool glove liners, too. I felt a little itchy before and it's the same now. No hives. That pretty much only happens when I scratch.
OK, off to school.

You can get hives - and especially what you are describing swelling where you touch without necessarily having an allergy to anything. It's referred to as Urticaria (mainly a fancy word for hives). I had an episode like this after going into a sauna. I think it was caused by heat. I had itchy hives on my feet, knees elbows and my face swelled up - especially around my eyes in a rather alarming fashion.

Physical urticaria refers to urticaria induced by external physical influences. The weals take about 5 minutes to develop, and last 15 to 30 minutes. Some people suffer from a mixture of different types of physical urticaria and generalized urticaria. The cause is unknown.

Dermographism means ‘skin writing’. Stroking the skin causes it to weal in the line of the stroke. This is very itchy, but scratching causes more wealing. Dermographism usually starts quite suddenly. Weals come up where clothes or furniture touch, especially when the affected person is hot or upset. A warm shower followed by rubbing with a towel can result in itchy weals all over.

Cholinergic urticaria results from sweating. In severe cases, hundreds of tiny red itchy spots develop after running, when warm, or when concentrating.

Cold urticaria affects skin warming up after a reduction in temperature, especially in winter. Weals can be widespread and may cause fainting attacks. Affected individuals should not expose large areas of the skin to the cold or wind. They should be advised never to swim alone.

Contact urticaria results from absorption of an elicting substance through the skin or through a mucous membrane. It may be allergic or non-allergic in origin. It may result in wealing confined to the site of contact or spreading more widely. IgE antibodies on mast cells react to chemicals in white flour, cosmetics, and textiles, or to proteins in latex rubber, saliva, meat, fish and vegetables may cause contact urticaria. Non-allergic examples include the stinging reaction of certain plants (e.g. nettles), animals (hairy caterpillar) and medicines.

Localised heat urticaria, aquagenic urticaria (water contact), solar urticaria (sunlight), vibratory angioedema and delayed pressure urticaria are less common.

[rubywagon]

For those of you experiencing itchy, red skin that seems to only show up in cold weather, you might want to see a dermatologist about a condition called Chilblains. My husband was getting eczema type rashes on his hands and feet during the cold winter months. He thought he might be having a reaction to his wool socks. He went to see the dermatologist and it turns out he has Chilblains and they suggested aspirin therapy. I has made such a difference in his comfort.

http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailmen...kin-bumps.html

[kmehrzad]

Crankin, my hives got to the point when I could feel them coming on. First a burning sensation then the itchiness then the welt. At first it started on a waistband or bra strap region then eventually progressed to my face. I could feel my lip burning then it would swell. The dr. was quite concerned when the hives moved up to my face, but again, there were no answers - nothing in my routine had changed (no new foods, detergents, soaps, etc.). I'd immediately take one Loratadine when I felt the burning sensation and the hives would go away - thank God. I haven't had the facial reaction in over a year now. It's been a good couple of months since experiencing hives on the trunk of my body. I've learned to live with it and keep Loratadine handy just in case.

[PamNY]

Does anyone know how the Ibex Woolies crew compares with Smartwool's microweight crew in terms of weight/warmth?

On another topic, I finally dragged out ALL the thrift shop sweaters I bought last year. I almost fell apart laughing at myself; there must be more than a dozen. I was so darned determined to master winter biking -- and I did, although I didn't need nearly that many sweaters. I wish you people would stop making me spend money.

Pam

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Does anyone know how the Ibex Woolies crew compares with Smartwool's microweight crew in terms of weight/warmth?

I have and use both a lot.
The Ibex woolies have cuffs, which make them seem more long-john like in style. They are longer in the torso.
The SW microweights are styled more like normal tops, and look more like a normal pullover and don't have as long a body length as the Ibex. Hence I like how they look over a skirt.
They are both about the same weight and warmth.
The SW ones are a bit more prone to holes, but their style is nicer to wear as a normal lightweight merino top. I wear the ibex woolies more like underlayers, and the SW ones more often as over tops.
Both are nice.

[PamNY]

I have and use both a lot.
The Ibex woolies have cuffs, which make them seem more long-john like in style. They are longer in the torso.
The SW microweights are styled more like normal tops, and look more like a normal pullover and don't have as long a body length as the Ibex. Hence I like how they look over a skirt.
They are both about the same weight and warmth.
The SW ones are a bit more prone to holes, but their style is nicer to wear as a normal lightweight merino top. I wear the ibex woolies more like underlayers, and the SW ones more often as over tops.
Both are nice.

Thanks, Lisa. Why am I so not surprised that it's you who could answer my question promptly and accurately?

Pam