What Is Hives? - Here Are All The Facts You Need To Know!
Hives is a skin condition that can affect anyone of any age and any race.
Hives is also known as Urticaria.
People experience the development of red bumps that are red in colour which are smooth to the touch.
The center of the bump is often white or blanched and they can be incredibly itchy.
The sufferer usually experiences a burning or stinging sensation which is very similar to sunburn.
These bumps are also referred to as welts and can be of varying size and shape and can appear on any part of the body.
The area of skin that is affected can also vary in size from just a few inches to even the size of a dinner plate.
On some occasions two or more areas of affected skin can morph into each other and form areas referred to as plaques.
They can appear without warning and last for just a few minutes or even hours.
You may only ever experience one outbreak of hives in your life or it may develop into an on going problem.
One in five people are estimated to experience an outbreak of hives in their life.
There are many different factors or triggers that can cause a reaction.
It is important to understand that although there is a common group of triggers, every person is different and their body makeup is unique to them and only them.
One person may have a reaction to a particular food, the next person may develop a reaction due to physical exercise resulting in the outbreak of sweat, and another person may have a reaction to a certain cosmetic and so on.
Hives develop as a result of an allergen being detected within the immune system.
The allergen can be a result of a food type, cosmetic, sweat, an insect bite which the body cannot tolerate.
Because of the allergen, histamines are released into the blood stream and when the histamine reaches the skin level the development of a red, itchy rash appears.
This is what we refer to as hives.
Developing hives can be a particular embarrassing condition and can be somewhat annoying because sometimes it is not possible to determine what the trigger is.
Also hives are generally not thought to be dangerous.
Saying that if you develop any form of swelling in the throat or around the mouth and experience breathing problems, then it is vitally important to seek medical advice immediately.
There are two different kinds of hives.
1 - Acute Urticaria.
This lasts up to 6 weeks.
2 - Chronic Urticaria.
This lasts longer than 6 weeks.
Acute Urticaria This tends to appear without warning and people struggle to determine exactly why it has happened.
A red rash of raised bumps appears which itch but they can disappear after a few minutes or last for longer periods.
You may experience outbreaks for several days but the main timeframe for Acute Urticaria is less than 6 weeks.
Chronic Urticaria The symptoms for Chronic Urticaria are the same but the individual continues to experience outbreaks for longer than 6 weeks.
In this instance it may be required that clinical tests need to be explored to find out what keeps triggering off a reaction.
It may be useful to construct a log of daily activity including food intake, physical activities undertaken and environments that you are exposed to.
It may take a period of time and tend to be tedious but it is well worth it to find a common denominator and hopefully eliminate hives from your daily life.
Another possibility is that you may be suffering from a physical type of hives call Cholinergic Urticaria.
A rash of tiny bumps occurs within approximately 15 minutes of any form of physical exercise that you have taken part in.
Other possible triggers for this form of hives include sweat, extreme cold and hot temperatures and sunshine.
A list of possible triggers for an outbreak of hives include the following - Pollen Sweating Food Allergies Hot and Cold Temperatures Medications Stress Sunshine Physical Stimulation Clothing Insect Bites and Stings Cosmetics What treatments are available? There are many treatments available for hive, both in the form of prescription and non-prescription medications.
A visit to your family doctor or local pharmacist is strongly recommended in order to gain expert medical advice.
There are many over the counter treatments available which are usually in the form of antihistamines.
To close Hives can be embarrassing and sometimes distressing for the individual although it is not renowned to be dangerous.
Rest assured that there are many effective treatments available as well as in some cases it may be a simple thing you need to change within your daily life to keep the symptoms and outbreaks at bay.
Hives is also known as Urticaria.
People experience the development of red bumps that are red in colour which are smooth to the touch.
The center of the bump is often white or blanched and they can be incredibly itchy.
The sufferer usually experiences a burning or stinging sensation which is very similar to sunburn.
These bumps are also referred to as welts and can be of varying size and shape and can appear on any part of the body.
The area of skin that is affected can also vary in size from just a few inches to even the size of a dinner plate.
On some occasions two or more areas of affected skin can morph into each other and form areas referred to as plaques.
They can appear without warning and last for just a few minutes or even hours.
You may only ever experience one outbreak of hives in your life or it may develop into an on going problem.
One in five people are estimated to experience an outbreak of hives in their life.
There are many different factors or triggers that can cause a reaction.
It is important to understand that although there is a common group of triggers, every person is different and their body makeup is unique to them and only them.
One person may have a reaction to a particular food, the next person may develop a reaction due to physical exercise resulting in the outbreak of sweat, and another person may have a reaction to a certain cosmetic and so on.
Hives develop as a result of an allergen being detected within the immune system.
The allergen can be a result of a food type, cosmetic, sweat, an insect bite which the body cannot tolerate.
Because of the allergen, histamines are released into the blood stream and when the histamine reaches the skin level the development of a red, itchy rash appears.
This is what we refer to as hives.
Developing hives can be a particular embarrassing condition and can be somewhat annoying because sometimes it is not possible to determine what the trigger is.
Also hives are generally not thought to be dangerous.
Saying that if you develop any form of swelling in the throat or around the mouth and experience breathing problems, then it is vitally important to seek medical advice immediately.
There are two different kinds of hives.
1 - Acute Urticaria.
This lasts up to 6 weeks.
2 - Chronic Urticaria.
This lasts longer than 6 weeks.
Acute Urticaria This tends to appear without warning and people struggle to determine exactly why it has happened.
A red rash of raised bumps appears which itch but they can disappear after a few minutes or last for longer periods.
You may experience outbreaks for several days but the main timeframe for Acute Urticaria is less than 6 weeks.
Chronic Urticaria The symptoms for Chronic Urticaria are the same but the individual continues to experience outbreaks for longer than 6 weeks.
In this instance it may be required that clinical tests need to be explored to find out what keeps triggering off a reaction.
It may be useful to construct a log of daily activity including food intake, physical activities undertaken and environments that you are exposed to.
It may take a period of time and tend to be tedious but it is well worth it to find a common denominator and hopefully eliminate hives from your daily life.
Another possibility is that you may be suffering from a physical type of hives call Cholinergic Urticaria.
A rash of tiny bumps occurs within approximately 15 minutes of any form of physical exercise that you have taken part in.
Other possible triggers for this form of hives include sweat, extreme cold and hot temperatures and sunshine.
A list of possible triggers for an outbreak of hives include the following - Pollen Sweating Food Allergies Hot and Cold Temperatures Medications Stress Sunshine Physical Stimulation Clothing Insect Bites and Stings Cosmetics What treatments are available? There are many treatments available for hive, both in the form of prescription and non-prescription medications.
A visit to your family doctor or local pharmacist is strongly recommended in order to gain expert medical advice.
There are many over the counter treatments available which are usually in the form of antihistamines.
To close Hives can be embarrassing and sometimes distressing for the individual although it is not renowned to be dangerous.
Rest assured that there are many effective treatments available as well as in some cases it may be a simple thing you need to change within your daily life to keep the symptoms and outbreaks at bay.
