Hives or urticaria show up as itchy white or red bumps on the skin. It some cases, it can be caused by a physical stimulus such as an allergy. If you have ever broken out in hives, then you will know how uncomfortable and frustrating it can be. Hives are welts or bumps that can show up anywhere on your skin. They may be barely noticeable or break out in a rash that is big enough to cover an entire body part. While they are annoying and itchy, most of the time they will go away in around twenty-four hours. But sometimes you might have to deal with them for longer. Experts say that hives are considered to be chronic if you have had them for more than six weeks.
While hives are usually easy to recognise on your body, what you might not find as easy to figure out is where they came from. There are several different allergies and other reasons why hives might be triggered. Here are some of the most common and how to handle them.
OTC Drugs and Prescription Medication
Keep a close eye on any medication that you are taking, especially if you are dealing with hives after you have taken a dose. Aspirin and ibuprofen are common over the counter painkiller drugs that might trigger an allergic reaction that results in hives. Some antibiotics, including sulfa and penicillin, have also been known to cause hives. And, you do not have to be taking a new medication to suffer from this reaction, either – people have been known to develop hives as a reaction to medications that they have been taking successfully for a long time. If you are worried that you are getting hives from a medication that you are taking, speak to your doctor as soon as possible.
Insect Bites
If you have a reaction, a bug or insect bite can lead to hives. Most of the time if you are bitten, it will cause some itching, redness, minor irritation, and a little swelling. However, a more severe reaction to being bitten by a bug could mean that the affected area breaks out in hives. Stinging insects in particular should be paid special attention to, such as wasps, hornets, bees, yellow-jackets and fire ants. You might also react with hives if you are bitten by an insect like fleas, bedbugs, and mosquitos. If you have an insect bite and are experiencing any other symptoms like shortness of breath, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Food and Drink Allergies
If you are breaking out in hives after having a meal, then it is a good idea to check what you are eating. Some foods can trigger hives if you have an allergic reaction. You can check out Patient.info to find out more about hives, the types of foods that are likely to cause them, and what you can do if you suspect that a certain food is causing you to break out in hives. Eggs, peanuts, fruit, and shellfish are some common food culprits if you are allergic to them. Most of the time, an allergic reaction to food will include other symptoms. In some cases, this may be severe, including shortness of breath or a swelling of the throat. If you experience severe symptoms, you should speak to a healthcare professional as soon as possible. You can do this by calling 111, where you will be assessed over the phone before appropriate action is taken. If you experience a severe hives episode due to a food allergy, you may be given a short course of steroids.
Scratching Your Skin
For some people, skin writing or dermographism is a condition that causes hive-like welts when you rub, scratch, or even apply pressure to your skin. This is caused by an inappropriate histamine release triggered by the action, which causes the hives to appear. If you are experiencing hives when you rub or scratch your skin, it is best to speak with your doctor about a management and treatment plan. You may be prescribed antihistamines to help.
Temperature Changes
Certain environmental factors can also cause your skin to break out in hives. Exposure to both warm and cold contact such as weather or cold and hot liquids on the skin could leave you breaking out in hives. And if that’s not bad enough, you might even get hives from an increase in your own body temperature. For some people, this shows up as a ‘heat rash’ and you might get it after exercising, eating spicy food, or if you are stressed or angry.
Aquagenic Reaction
While it is very rare, some people get hives when their skin is exposed to water. If you tend to get hives after you take a dip in a hot tub or pool, then this might be something work speaking to your doctor about. Thankfully, it is a very rare condition so if it doesn’t happen to you all the time, it’s more likely that the hives have been triggered by another factor such as the water temperature or contaminants in the water.
Stress
Being stressed is a part of life that we can’t get away from. However, if breaking out in hives is something that often happens to you after you have had a tough day at work, been around somebody who raises your stress levels, or after being stuck in traffic in the morning, it might be a sign that the stress levels you are experiencing are getting too much for your body. Thankfully, there are several things that you can do to keep your stress levels down in a healthy way including medication, music, getting more sleep, doing something you enjoy like crafts or gardening, or speaking to a mental health professional. Ideally, you should try and avoid exposure to the stress trigger or manage it as much as possible.
What to Do If You Get Regular or Severe Hives
If you get hives a lot or you are dealing with a severe case of hives, then you should get them checked out sooner rather than later. When you experience hives, doctors recommend going through the past forty-eight hours and writing down everything that you’ve eaten or done over the last two days to get an idea of what might be causing them. Even if you don’t immediately find a cause, the next time it happens, you might be able to find a common theme such as a food that you have eaten or an activity that you have taken part in where you have broken out in hives both times. Doctors also recommend taking an oral antihistamine, which you can get over the counter, to treat any current hives that you are experiencing along with helping to prevent more from developing in the future.
However, in some cases, hives can be serious, and you may need more than an over the counter treatment to deal with them. If you have chronic hives that have lasted for six weeks or more, then it is recommended that you speak with a healthcare professional to rule out any more serious causes such as autoimmune diseases, certain cancers, infections, hepatitis, parasites, or lupus.
Hives are a common problem that can be mild to severe and may be caused by several different reasons. Most of the time, hives are triggered by an allergic reaction to external stimuli like temperature or certain foods.
