Santa Ana winds not only drive dry conditions and elevate fire dangers across Southern California, but they can kick up pollen and other particulates that might heighten your allergies.
“One of the dangers when it comes to Santa Ana winds is that they carry all the particulate matter that we see associated with fires,” doctor Abisola Olulade with Sharp-Rees Stealy Medical Group said.
That means irritating particulate matter might make its way into your nasal passages, resulting in watery eyes and a lot of sneezing. While fire isn’t always the result of Santa Ana winds, these strong gusts could carry pollen that tends to cause allergies, according to Dr. Olulade.
As a result, you could experience a myriad of symptoms from itchy, watery eyes, to coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest and dry skin.
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“The dryness is what causes the drippiness, believe it or not,” Olulade said. “The body tries to create more mucus, more moisture because of that dry response, in response to the dryness – that’s why you see a lot of sniffling, a lot of watery eyes.”
As a result, she says sinus headaches are also a possible symptom because people's sinuses start getting full and congested.
Treatment and Options
“The best thing is to have a saline rinse, that’s the best thing to have at home because that can help to rinse your nasal passages and get all these particulates out,” Olulade said.
She recommends over-the-counter antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra or Zyrtec and nasal sprays like Flonase and eyedrops for dry eyes.
“When it comes to dry skin we recommend that you try to use hypoallergenic product,” Olulade said. “Try to use products that don’t have any additives in them – unscented products, try to stick to that and try to moisturize frequently.”
She says Lubriderm and Aquaphor can help alleviate symptoms of dry skin.
When it comes to kids and treating their symptoms, Olulade said most medications should be safe for them too.
“Look at either the dosages on the medication and the age ranges but kids can use a lot of the same medication," she said.
She also recommends limiting time outside or wearing an N-95 mask for those with heightened sensitivities to pollen or wildfire smoke, should there be a wildfire impacting weather conditions in your area. For those who are asthmatic, she recommends having your inhaler with you too.
Things To Keep In Mind
Santa Ana winds are a part of San Diego’s weather pattern, so Olulade emphasizes preparing for them, especially if you know you could have symptoms.
“So what we do is we try to come up with a plan ahead of time, so that may mean you start taking your allergy medications, you increase the dosage of your allergy medications,”
As these conditions are happening, check the air quality in your area to prepare for what’s to come.
“You can see if pollen levels are higher, you can see if the air quality is not ideal," Olulade added.
