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Allergists say masks may be the key to minimizing your outdoor allergies

Patients who wear masks are reporting fewer seasonal allergy issues

People have been wearing masks to fend off COVID-19 but allergists say those same masks have also been good at filtering out pollen and other allergens floating around in the air.

Doctors with Tufts Medical Center say since people have been wearing masks more, overall they’ve seen patients reporting fewer seasonal allergy issues.

That’s because while pollen grains can be as small as 10 micrometers, masks can catch particles as small as 3 micrometers.

Allergists at Tufts say more advanced medical masks can be even more effective and that even wearing cloth masks outdoors can cut down on problems.

Of course, those masks don’t protect your eyes, so you may still feel some discomfort if you don’t wear glasses or other eye protection.

Doctors also say they are seeing an increase of people getting aggravated with indoor allergies.

That’s because more people have decided to add pets to their family over the past year.

Allergists add that while wearing masks for outdoor allergies can be beneficial it’s not a great long-term solution because wearing a mask too long, especially in the summer months, can create more problems like acne or eczema on your face.

As always talk to your doctor or allergist to find out what the best plan is for you.


About the Authors
Hardy Meredith headshot
Roslyn Jimenez headshot

Roslyn Jimenez is a news producer at KSAT. Before joining the team, she was a producer and video editor at KIII-TV and a radio intern in Corpus Christi. She graduated from Del Mar College with an Associate's degree in political science and liberal arts. Roslyn is family-oriented and loves spending time with her fiancé and chihuahua Paco.

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