Many patients with spring allergies are doing well this season because they’re spending more time indoors and wearing a mask when they go outside, said Dr. Do-Yeon Cho, an associate professor of otolaryngology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “A study that came out in 2020 showed that allergic rhinitis [hay fever] symptoms among nurses had been significantly reduced with face mask usage during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Cho said in a university news release. Patients should be advised that any type of face covering can significantly reduce the pollens and allergens that may enter the nose and mouth, he noted. They should also be informed, however, that it’s important not to touch the front side of their mask when removing it and to not flip the mask when reusing it.
