How I Became a Latex-Allergic Balloon Artist

As a child, I learned the magical art of balloon artistry from my ever-so-creative mother. She had, for as long as I could remember, learned how to DIY everything she could to save us money while giving us a fulfilling childhood during hard times.

Balloon artistry and latex allergies

Balloon artistry became quite a hobby for me as I grew older and bought my own balloons and materials. It was a way to bring fun to friends' birthday parties, spice up family gatherings, and even help break the ice at all of my office jobs during each coworker's birthday. I was truly having fun with it until one day, I realized that the skin on my fingers was behaving rather strangely.

Noticing an allergic reaction on my skin

I noticed my skin growing red and itchy and my cuticles peeling off. It reminded me of my bad reactions to soap as a coconut-allergic person, just not as severe.

Without thinking, I continued to pick up balloon art gigs part-time to supplement my income. No big deal, right? I thought that maybe I was just allergic to the lotion I was using.

The allergic reaction became severe

That was, until I showed up for the longest gig ever, a birthday party for my coworker's son, with a quirky Dr. Seuss theme that I absolutely adored.

I was hired to make balloons for about 3 hours, which was much longer than I usually spent with balloons. And the latex balloons for balloon art are some of the best in my opinion. They are flexible and have low popping probability - yet, for my hands, it was a high probability of popping skin I was about to learn!

And so that evening, I went home with my hands-on fire, it seemed, skin just peeling off. It was like being Freddy Kreuger in a Seuss-themed dress, a walking contradiction, confused about my own skin.

Coming to terms with a latex allergy

I rubbed on some Benadryl cream to get some relief. I thought, well, I must be allergic, but how? And why so suddenly? And then it hit me...

In my younger years, I did, in fact, have issues with latex, but I was not exposed to it for long each time so I had not noticed much. At the dentist, my tongue would feel weird after an exam because of the doctor's latex gloves. I had a poor experience as a young person when using condoms and had trouble with a particle mask and respirator in a welding class in college.

It all began to make sense.

Consulting with my doctor

So I called up my doctor, and we had a lengthy discussion. Considering my 26 food allergies, this was not the hugest surprise. After all, was said and done to confirm a mild latex allergy, I had to make a little adjustment to my lifestyle.

I have taken fewer requests for balloon art in recent years, but occasionally, you can still find me in a cubicle with a handful of my creations, hands washed carefully, with soothing lotion on.

Have your allergies ever affected your hobby or lifestyle before?