How Are They Diagnosed
Your doctor can diagnose hives by looking at the skin, asking questions, and doing a physical exam. Because the hives can fade by the time you see your doctor, it may help to take a picture of them. Blood tests usually are not needed unless the hives have been coming back regularly for more than six weeks. Other testing may be done if your doctor thinks a specific cause is likely.
Hives Occur In The Skin And Are Common
Up to 20% of people will develop hives at some time during their life. In most cases, hives are not due to allergy. Underneath the lining of the skin and other body organs are mast cells. Mast cells contain chemicals including histamine. When these are released into the skin they irritate nerve endings to cause local itch and irritation and make local blood vessels expand and leak fluid, triggering redness and swelling.
Final Thoughts On Hives Treatment
Hives are an unpleasant inflammatory skin condition that 20 percent of the population will experience at some point in time. Thankfully, hives typically are not serious, and hives treatment is available. With some simple natural remedies, you can calm a hives outbreak on yourself or your child quite quickly. Inexpensive, common household items like oatmeal, witch hazel and baking soda are really effective at calming the itching and redness that usually accompany hives. If your child experiences hives, you should make sure you arent using any harsh body care products on his or her skin. You should also avoid hot baths and tight-fitting clothes. I hope that you wont experience hives anytime soon, but if you do, a natural hives treatment will really come in handy.
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How Are Hives Diagnosed
Your doctor will need to ask many questions in an attempt to find the possible cause of hives. Since there are no specific tests for hives — or the associated swelling of angioedema — testing will depend on your medical history and a thorough exam by your doctor.
Your doctor may do skin tests to find out what you’re allergic to. Or they may test your blood to see if you have an illness.
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This article is not medical advice. It is intended for general informational purposes and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your physician or dial 911.
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The Best Way To Prevent Hives Is To Avoid Triggers
The best prevention strategy is perhaps the most obvious: Avoid your triggers.
For example, if pressure on your skin gives you hives, skip the tight clothing and opt for looser-fitting clothes. If the sun is your trigger, avoid too much direct sun when you can and always wear sunscreen, which is a wise idea even if youve never gotten a hive in your life, Elmariah says.
If dermatographism, otherwise known as scratching the skin, is making you break out, avoiding wool, irritating chemicals and fragrances, and harsh soaps, and using emollients to hydrate your skin can certainly help, she adds.
Getting hives every time you exercise? Consider taking a long-acting antihistamine like cetirizine before your workout and exercising in an air-conditioned facility. Youll still sweat and you could get hives, but by surrounding yourself with cooler temperatures, youll reduce the symptoms, Elmariah says.
How Is It Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will look at the hives and ask about your history of sensitivity to such things as:
- plants and pollens
- animals, such as an allergy to cats
- insect bites or stings
- exposure to heat, cold, or sunshine
To find the cause of your hives, the healthcare provider may suggest that you:
- Keep a detailed diary of everything you eat, drink, take as medicine, or are exposed to for 2 to 4 weeks.
- Avoid foods, one at a time, to which you may be allergic.
It is easiest to identify drugs, foods, or plants that may cause you to have hives because the response usually occurs within an hour. Identifying triggers such as emotional stress or multiple allergies may take more time. Identifying multiple allergies may require skin tests or other types of allergy tests.
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What Are The Symptoms
The raised, red, itchy areas may vary in size and shape. You may have one or many hives. The hives may appear on any part of the body. They are most common on the arms, legs, and trunk. You may have red blotches on your face. The rash may last for a few minutes or several days. Hives can be uncomfortable and they may recur.
In the case of a severe reaction–to a bee sting, for example–your face and throat may swell. Rarely, hives may cause problems with breathing, creating the danger of a severe asthma attack or a closing of the throat from swelling, which can be life-threatening.
How Doctors Diagnose Hives
Expect to undergo a thorough physical exam. The dermatologist or allergist will also likely ask you to review your hives experience in detail, including when the hives started, if you suspect anything in particular triggered your hives, what medications youve tried, and what type of response youve gotten. Come prepared with this information.
Doctors will also verify that the bump is hives, often circling the spot on your skin to see if it disappears the next day .
Once theyve confirmed that it is hives, theyll work to determine the trigger. Rossi says: Figuring out the cause can be the most frustrating part of it, especially if the tests arent helpful.
You may require additional testing. If an allergy is suspected, you may need to undergo allergy testing. If you are diagnosed with a severe allergy, the doctor may prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector in case youre accidentally exposed to your allergen.
And because chronic hives can signal autoimmune disorders, you may need to have a blood draw in which doctors will look for a common antibody found in many autoimmune disorders. In rare cases when a bout of hives doesnt disappear within 24 hours, your doctor may do a skin biopsy to see if theres inflammation of the blood vessels, Rossi adds.
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When To See Your Doctor About Hives
While hives can be uncomfortable, theyre usually harmless and disappear within minutes or hours. Sometimes they hang around for a few days. Seek emergency medical treatment if you develop hives around your eyes or in your mouth or experience difficulty breathing, wheezing, light-headedness, or dizziness.
You may have a life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis, and the internal tissue swelling can block breathing passages. If youre prone to hives, ask your doctor if you should carry a rapid-injection form of epinephrine in case you develop anaphylaxis. And if you have chronic hives that just dont respond to milder treatments, your doctor may prescribe oral steroids.
What Causes Hives And Swelling
Allergens can causes these reactions. An allergen is a substance your body doesnt like, and your bodys immune system reacts by releasing chemicals called histamines. Histamines are a chemical made by allergy cells and other immune cells that goes into overdrive to get rid of the allergen. But your body may respond to the flood of histamines by having an allergic reaction that causes hives and swelling.
People get hives and angioedema from all kinds of things, including:
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What Kind Of Medications Cause Hives
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and aspirin as well as codeine and other pain relievers are the primary culprits in medicine-induced hives. The primary chemicals in NSAIDs are salicylates. Many foods contain salicylates, such as celery, vinegar, honey, apricots, olives, peppers, tomatoes, oranges, grapes, and many spices . These foods, too, can fire up hives in the same way as aspirin or ibuprofen.
How To Treat Hives
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Hives are a common condition roughly 20 percent of people will deal with them at some point in life. But theyre also downright annoying, even uncomfortable to the point where sleeping, working, going to school, and socializing may be compromised. Fortunately, there are numerous treatment options available, including some you can do on your own at home.
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Fexofenadine Loratadine And Cetirizine
These antihistamines typically come in 12- or 24-hour formulas to provide extended relief. Theyre also less likely to cause drowsiness than diphenhydramine.
You may need to adjust the dosage to effectively treat hives, so talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They can advise you on how much to take and how often.
If youre experiencing severe or chronic hives, prescription medication may be necessary. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and how you can best find relief.
Common prescription options include:
Hives Are Rarely Due To A Serious Underlying Disease
Whilst a clear cause of hives in not obvious in many cases, causes may include:
- Infection from a virus is the most common cause of hives in children, especially if they last for more than 24 hours.
- Contact allergy to plants or animals may cause localized hives.
- Allergic reactions to food, medicines or insect stings can appear as hives. They usually occur within one to two hours of exposure and disappear in most cases within six to eight hours.
An allergic cause for hives should be suspected if episodes are rare, short-lived and occur under specific circumstances, for example:
- Only when exercising.
- Always within two hours of a meal.
- When symptoms involving other organs occur around the same time, such as stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing or dizziness.
- If hives occur with swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty breathing or low blood pressure, anaphylaxis should be suspected. Urgent administration of adrenaline and medical assessment is required. Information about anaphylaxis is available on the ASCIA website.
Ongoing hives lasting days at a time are almost never allergic in origin, with the exception of some cases of allergy to medicines. Stress is a very rarely the cause of hives but may make the symptoms worse.
In some people hives are caused by physical triggers, including cold , heat, sunlight , vibration, rubbing or scratching of the skin , and delayed pressure , stress, alcohol, spicy food or coffee may cause symptoms.
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Hives Treatment: 9 Natural Home Remedies
Have you ever had red, raised, itchy bumps that came out of nowhere? If the answer is yes, then you likely have already experienced hives at some point in your life. Hives can really startle you when they suddenly appear on your skin. Most often they are due to some type of allergic reaction. Thankfully, theyre typically not long lasting and relatively harmless. But, sometimes hives can indicate a life-threatening allergic reaction, or they can become chronic.
How do you get hives? Hives are not something you can catch from anyone. Rather, they are your bodys response to something it ingests or experiences. The cause of hives can be a certain food, drug, infection or stress. You might be surprised to learn that stress is one of the most common causes of acute hives, along with allergies and infectious causes. Hives can literally occur at any age and appear anywhere on the body. It is estimated that one in every five people will be affected by a hives outbreak at some point in his or her life.
Getting Rid Of Hives Naturally At Home
While all of these will work to help reduce the itchy feeling your hives rash is causing, the only one that is scientifically formulated to make your hives go away is OxyHives. If you don’t already have OxyHives on hand, you can order it at
Take A Cool BathRemember to take a cool bath when you have a hives rash, not a HOT bath. The hot water will only aggrevate the rash and make it worse. Always use cool water, not hot water.
Remove As Much Stress As PossibleIt’s scientifically proven that stress can cause a hives rash, so in order to lower your chances of getting a stress hvies outbreak, be sure to keep the level of stresss in your life as low as possible. While this is easier said than done, it is imperative to keep from getting a hives rash on a regular basis.
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Mast Cells And Histamines
Underneath the lining of the skin, gut, lungs, nose and eyes are mast cells. These are designed to kill worms and parasites.
Mast cells contain chemicals including histamine. When these are released into the skin in small amounts, they cause itching and irritation. When large amounts are released into the skin, fluid leaks out of blood vessels, resulting in swelling of the skin .
Occasionally, hives produce swelling without an itch.
Causes And Risk Factors
What causes hives? Hives are typically caused by an allergic reaction. The allergy can be to a food or medication. When your body is allergic to something, it can release chemicals that make your skin develop hives. An infection or emotional stress can also cause hives.
When hives are caused by an allergic reaction, your skin can break out within minutes of exposure to the allergen. Some common allergens that can cause hives include:
- Certain foods, especially food allergies to shellfish, tree nuts, milk, and some fruit
- Medications, especially antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen.
- Insect bites and stings
When hives occur due to an allergy, high levels of histamine and other chemical messengers are released into the skin. These substances cause your blood vessels to open up. This often results in pinkness or redness, as well as extra fluid in the tissues, which causes swelling and itching.
Sometimes someone may have allergy hives and other times a hives breakout has nothing to do with allergies. Hives can also result from one of the following:
- Stress or anxiety
- Pressure on the skin
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Apply Aloe Vera Treatment:
If you apply aloe vera topically on the inflamed skin, the symptoms of hives will vanish quickly. It also keeps the hives from spreading if you apply the aloe vera on the surrounding areas. Aloe vera will heal the hives effectively and naturally. It is recommended to repeat this treatment several times a day until you get the noticeable result.
How Long Do They Last
Hives show up quickly and fade within hours. Once faded, they leave no marks other than scratches from itching. However, new hives may show up after the original hives have gone away. For most people, the hives will come back for only a few days to a few weeks. In some people, hives may come back every day or every few days for months to years.
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How To Prevent Hives
Several lifestyle changes may help prevent you from experiencing hives or worsening symptoms.
Take note of the types of soap youre using and how youre applying it rubbing too hard on your skin may cause irritation and result in hives. Also consider using soap labeled for sensitive skin.
Its also helpful to track your eating habits to learn which foods may be causing an allergic reaction. Youre more likely to experience hives if you have an allergy to:
Apply The Wet Cold Compress:
This is the first tip on how to treat hives. Applying the wet, cold compress will help you cool the affected area and alleviate the swelling. In order to utilize treatment, you should dip the paper towel in the cold water and apply the solution on affected skin for 15 minutes. It is recommended to repeat the process every few hours until the pain and swelling reduce significantly. If the symptoms of hives become worse, you should take a cold bath for 20 30 minutes. It means covering hives and affected skin area with cold water. However, if you have sensitive skin, you should avoid this treatment because it will make the hives worsen and spread.
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How To Get Rid Of Hives: The Best Natural Ways To Treat Hives
Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health
Hives are red itchy bumps on the surface of the skin that can range in size from a very small spot to a large raised welt. The medical term for hives is urticaria and some people also refer to hives as nettle rash. The itchy patches caused by hives can affect your face, hands, as well as other areas of the body and they can be triggered by something that produces an allergic reaction an allergen. This article will help you find natural treatments for hives that will help you get rid of them. I am also going to mention natural ways to help you prevent outbreaks of hives.
If you suffer from hives you know that it can be difficult to find exactly what triggers them. Especially for people who have chronic hives, the condition can affect daily activities and cause emotional stress.
Lets look at natural ways to treat hives and to relieve the itching that comes with the condition.