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Dear Lucy: Clothing with wool (even a small amount) makes me itchy, and I've avoided lanolin products for years. But with all the lovely looking cashmere sweaters, I'm tempted to buy. Am I likely to have the same problem with cashmere as wool? —Itchy & Scratchy

Dear I&S: Lucy's with you and so many other people when it comes to wool-just thinking about it makes her itch! So it came as quite a surprise when MIT Medical dermatology nurse practitioner Barbara Starr, A.P.R.N., B.C., told her that wool allergies are actually quite rare.

"Though lots of people believe they are allergic to wool, we now know that it's the unique construction of the fiber itself that irritates the skin and causes the prickle and itch so many of us associate with wearing wool," Starr says. Under a microscope, a single fiber of wool looks like a strand of hair covered with coarse scales that overlap and curl outward. These fibers have a natural crimp that "springs back" after being stressed and permeable interiors that can absorb 30 percent of their weight in moisture without feeling damp. These characteristics make wool durable and warm, Starr explains, but for many people, they also trigger a reaction in the skin's pain receptors to cause a prickly, itchy feeling.

Interestingly, Starr adds, people who react to wool this way often have similar reactions to clothing that has been dried with fabric softener sheets. "While tumbling in the dryer, little particles from the fabric softener sheets get attached to clothes. Later, an individual wearing this clothing may feel itchy," Starr explains. "It's not an allergy to the fabric softener. It's these invisible particles that irritate the skin and trigger the itch response."

Starr thinks you and Lucy will probably be comfortable wearing cashmere—or even a higher-end (read "more expensive") wool fiber such as the fine or super-fine varieties of Merino wool. Cashmere and Merino wool are as warm as regular wool, but neither has the characteristics that cause prickle and itch in regular woolen garments. Cashmere, which is classified as a hair fiber, is made from the fine, soft undercoat of the Cashmere (or Kashmir) goat. Merino fibers, made from the fine wool of the Merino sheep, has overlapping scales that do not curl outward like those of regular wool fibers.

Lucy finds this information absolutely fascinating and believes some testing is in order. Fortunately, atmospheric conditions are now favorable for a controlled experiment (in other words, winter is here in full force). Will you and Lucy find cashmere and Merino wool non-irritating? Will we find it fashionable? In the interest of science, these questions must be answered. I don't know about you, but Lucy is off to the mall! —Lucy

Information contained in Ask Lucy is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended as professional medical advice related to individual situations. Always obtain the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if you need medical diagnosis, advice, or treatment. Never disregard medical advice you have received, nor delay getting such advice, because of something you read in this column.