The Allergy Clinic

17/11/2025

𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝… 𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬?
Sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose, but no fever or body aches? It may not be a cold. It could be allergic rhinitis.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬:
An allergy to things you breathe in (pollen, dust mites, mould, pets). Symptoms include sneezing, itchy/blocked/runny nose, itchy eyes, and clear nasal discharge.

𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐯𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲:
• Cold/Flu: Fever, body aches, yellow/green discharge, typically lasts

08/11/2025

Weekly Pollen Update @ The Real Pollen Count

-Grass pollen levels are currently moderate to high in Pretoria, and moderate in Bloemfontein and Cape Town.
-Cladosporium, a highly allergenic mould, showed significant peaks throughout the week in Pretoria, and also spiked on several days in Durban.
-In Johannesburg, the overall allergy risk is moderate (meaning more than 50% of pollen allergy sufferers may have symptoms).
This is mainly due to tree pollen, especially from acacia, birch, bushwillow, cypress, guarri, Cape holly, mulberry, yellowwood, gum, olive and karee trees.

03/11/2025

Weekly pollen update @ The Real Pollen Count:

*Tree pollen is low almost everywhere, except in Cape Town.
*Grass pollen is at moderate levels in Cape Town and Pretoria.
*W**d pollen is low across the country.
*The allergy-triggering mould Cladosporium is still high in Pretoria.

27/10/2025

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐜𝐳𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 | 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞

As Eczema Awareness Month comes to an end, South Africa’s pollen season continues to challenge sensitive skin.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤’𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 (The real The Real Pollen Count):

Tree pollen is starting to decrease as flowering seasons wind down, yet significant concentrations were still detected in Cape Town, George, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein, with pine dominant in Cape Town and yellowwood in George. Grass pollen remains moderate in Cape Town and Pretoria, while w**d pollen is low across the country. Peaks for the allergenic mould Cladosporium were also recorded in Pretoria, adding another layer of irritation for allergy and eczema sufferers.

When pollen and mould levels rise, eczema-prone skin can easily flare up. Maintaining a healthy skin barrier through regular emollient use remains your best defense.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 = 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧.

Attached and see link in comments:
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫: A new South African guide developed by UCT medical students under A/Prof Jonathan Peter, AFSA, and the UCT Lung Institute.
It maps all leave-on emollients for atopic dermatitis available locally (as of Jan 2025) and carries the AFSA Seal of Approval for product quality.

23/10/2025

Great patient resources and workshops👇🏻

Linktree. Make your link do more.

20/10/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤’𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 (𝐒𝐀)

According to The Real Pollen Count, Johannesburg’s overall pollen level is moderate this week, mainly due to rising tree pollen despite the rain. Grass counts are moderate in Cape Town and Pretoria, while tree pollen remains high in Cape Town, dominated by pine trees. In Bloemfontein, false olive is the main tree pollen right now. W**d counts are low across South Africa, but mould levels are high in Pretoria and Durban.

The current rainy weather over Johannesburg can reduce airborne pollen concentrations due to the “wash-out” effect when rain helps clear pollen from the air. But once the skies clear, new pollen release can quickly trigger symptoms again.

Enjoy this time if it’s bringing temporary relief from sneezing, itchy eyes, and congestion.

Weekly Update 🌿

Plane trees led the pollen charts across SA, except in Joburg where oak took the lead 🍂.
🌾 Grass was only moderate in Pretoria.
🍃 Durban had mould spikes.

For full report visit www.pollencount.co.za

17/10/2025

Eczema (or atopic dermatitis) can sometimes need a little extra care beyond moisturisers alone. Treatments like 'bleach baths' and 'wet wraps' can help calm severe flare-ups, reduce bacteria on the skin, and restore moisture more effectively, especially during tough flare seasons.

***These simple home-based treatments should, however, always be done under your healthcare provider’s guidance. See links in comment to learn more.

Weekend tip: Be kind to your skin (and yourself) this weekend, consistency matters. Keep emollient-based moisturisers nearby, use gentle cleansers/soap, and protect your skin barrier this weekend.

09/10/2025

09/10/2025

October is a super important month for health awareness, highlighting many critical health conditions.

This month we're focusing on 𝐞𝐜𝐳𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 to better understand the condition, promote improved care, and foster empathy for those living with it.

𝐄𝐜𝐳𝐞𝐦𝐚, or 𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬, is a chronic skin condition that causes dry, itchy, and inflamed skin. It has numerous adverse effects that can impact emotional well-being, comfort and general health, like much needed sleep.

𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬:

-Affects about 𝟐𝟎𝟒 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 people worldwide.
-𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧: 4.0% (103 million)
-𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬: 2.0% (101 million)
-More prevalent in 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 than in males.

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 as we share more about eczema awareness and care.



𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒:
𝑇𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝐽, 𝑍ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐷, 𝑌𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑌, 𝐻𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑌, 𝑊𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐿, 𝑌𝑎𝑜 𝑋, 𝐿𝑢 𝑄. 𝐺𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑠: 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦. 𝐵𝑟 𝐽 𝐷𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑙. 2023. 𝐷𝑂𝐼: 10.1093/𝑏𝑗𝑑/𝑙𝑗𝑎𝑑339

04/10/2025

Incredible resource available to healthcare practitioners.

01/10/2025

Today is World Urticaria Day

Urticaria (hives) is a condition where intensely itchy areas of skin raise up and then most commonly resolves within a few hours, only to reoccur elsewhere on the body. This condition can significantly impact a persons quality of life.

Contrary to popular belief that this condition occurring chronically is due to food, up to 40% are actually a result of an underlying autoimmune process.

To all our patients who are living with CSU: We see you and we support you.

21/07/2025

Wondering how to protect your little one from food allergies? Early introduction of allergenic foods between 4-11 months and maintaining them in their diet until age 5 can make a difference! If your child has severe eczema or egg allergy, it's crucial to connect with your healthcare provider for proper testing. Learn from the LEAP/EAT studies to help safeguard your child's health. Together, we can pave the way for a healthier future.