Hives Photos

Hives are those little red welts you get when your skin gets irritated.  There is any number of causes for hives, but the symptoms of hives are the same (and technically, hives ARE a symptom of something larger happening in your body).  They are tiny red welts that spring up in clusters on a particular, irritated part of your skin.  They are often accompanied by red wheals, and though they typically do not hurt themselves, they do itch.  A lot.  Hives can be caused for a number of reasons, but the most typical short term cause of hives are allergies. 

The actual physical cause of hives is the release of the chemical histamine in capillaries near the surface of your skin.  This causes the skin to become inflamed.  Typically, what causes the release of histamine - which has practical uses - is an allergen, which is a harmless chemical or substance that, for whatever reason, your body is hypersensitive to, and rejects when it comes into contact with your body.

There are three basic cures for an allergic response: distance, time, and antihistamines.

Distance is the first key, and probably also the easiest.  If you are allergic to something, figure out what it is, and stay away from it.  Chances are you already know what you are allergic to.  People tend to find these things out pretty early in their childhood.  Common allergens include nuts, certain medications, animal dander, milk, certain airborne particles, etc.  Once you know what the cause is, get away from that cause.  Stop eating peanuts.  Stop petting that cat.  No more milk.  Don't sniff flowers.  And so on.

Antihistamines are what you're going to want to take care of next.  Antihistamines stop the release of histamine and, therefore, stop or reverse the inflammation of the skin.  Often, taking an antihistamine is effective enough for you to be able to stay around the allergen and not experience any of the symptoms.  A note:  there are some anti-inflammatory drugs that can actually cause inflammation, depending on who you are and your response to the drug. 

Time is the other factor.  Most cases of hives won't last a day, as long as you cut off exposure and make sure it's not spreading.  Once you do this, it's only a matter of time before they all go away.  The key is to avoid irritating your skin even more.  If you start scratching, they are going to stick around even longer.  If you wear heavy, scratchy, or wet clothes, they aren't going to go away as fast as if you wear dry, light, minimal contact clothes.  If you can, avoid letting anything touch the hives altogether.

There are, of course, other causes for hives, especially for chronic hives.  If you have chronic hives, see a doctor or an allergist, because you'll probably need to be prescribed some treatment to figure out what is causing the hives and what in particular is making you break out like you are.  There isn't a ton you can do in this situation except see a doctor, as you are probably not equipped to figure it out yourself.  There have been instances of hives being apparently induced by stress, by physical stimuli such as chafing or heat, and by various other genetic conditions or as symptoms of larger disease.

Getting rid of them quickly isn't always the easiest thing to do, but take the proper amount of antihistamines, don't touch them, stay in a cool, dry place, and wait, and they should come off.  If they don't after a day or two, call a doctor.  If you experience any more severe allergic symptoms, such as swelling or difficulty breathing or inducement of asthma, see the doctor immediately.