Allergies are no fun for anyone, but the appearance of a rash -- particularly a whole-body rash -- can be alarming. If your son develops this during or after a football practice, you can usually assume the offending allergen was encountered outdoors on the football field. Depending on the time of year, it could be easy to determine the cause of these allergies and enable your child to continue playing his sport without worry.
Symptoms
Often accompanying a rash is itching, which could be in one location or all over the body. Sneezing and irritation in the nose and eyes, including swelling and redness around the eyes, are also possible. In more extreme cases, your child may wheeze or have difficulty breathing.
Possible Causes
The most common cause of a rash after football practice is an allergy to grass. Grass allergies can cause irritations in children to varying degrees. There also could be allergens in the air, such as pollen, that are agitating your child and causing the rash to occur -- this is most common in the spring, when pollen counts are at their highest. It's possible that a treatment has been recently applied to the grass and is causing a reaction in your son. If this is the case, other children may experience a similar reaction.
Treatment
In the event of a chemical exposure, contact your doctor or Poison Control Center for appropriate treatment methods. Although the best approach to avoiding allergic reactions is to avoid the allergens themselves, this may be more difficult in the case of pollens and grass. You can purchase medications over the counter and by prescription, if needed, to alleviate the reactions. Allergy shots may also be an option in extreme situations. Your doctor will advise you of the best course of tretment.
Considerations
Unless the rash is very minor, have your child sit out from football practices until you can determine both the cause and an appropriate method of treatment. Most children with grass allergies are still able to participate in sports on grass fields. Confirm the allergy with a doctor rather than simply assuming the allergy is the result of grass or other outdoor influences. Failure to correctly diagnose and treat the allergy could lead to future discomfort or complications resulting from allergic reactions.
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