It’s on your car. It’s in your eyes. Look out, pollen wages full attack.

May 8, 2018

As published on NJ.com by Spencer Kent

Look out allergy sufferers, we’re in the thick of it. Pollen is waging a full attack.

Your car is covered in green stuff. You had to get a carwash just to see through the windshield. You’re sniffling, sneezing, wheezing. My sympathies.

Right now is showing to be the worst time for pollen, experts say, with tree pollen remaining at extreme levels as it hangs around a little later in the season than usual.

So when will it be safe to go outside?

Donald J. Dvorin, a Mount Laurel-based allergy specialist, said pollen levels will likely remain extreme until around the first week of July.

“After the first week of July, things will die down until the first week of August, which is ragweed time,” Dvorin said. “That will carry into mid-October.”

Mold spores and grass pollen are also both at high levels. Dvorin said the changeover from tree to grass pollen will begin roughly in two or three weeks.

So how can you keep pollen out? Unless you prefer to wear an astronaut helmet outside or avoid going outside altogether, The Asthma Center has five easy tips:

1. Wash your face

After being outside, it’s important to wash your face, especially your eyebrows as those microscopic pollen grains can cling to your eyebrows like Velcro.

2. Wash your hair before bed

If you’re bald (as I almost am) you don’t have to worry about this too much. But, for those with thick locks, it’s important to wash your hair before bed. Also, make sure to wash your pillowcase frequently.

3. Avoid wearing contact lenses

If possible, switch to daily disposable contacts, which will help keep pollen from building up on your lenses.

4. Watch that grass pollen

Be extra careful not to track grass pollen in your home after being outside.

5. Change air filters often

Changing the air filters in your home and your car is important, as the pollen can build up and mess with the ventilation.

Good luck out there.

Original article published on NJ.com

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