Do hives spread by touch

Are Hives Contagious?

Hives arent contagious, meaning you wont develop them on your skin by touching hives on another person. However, the trigger causing this skin reaction can be contagious.

Hives also referred to as urticaria are welts on the skin and are a type of itchy rash. They may be red or skin-colored, though hives on darker skin may be harder to see.

Hives can appear on any body part and are often triggered by an allergic reaction. If you press a hive, the center of the bump will turn pale.

Other causes of hives that are contagious are:

Although allergies can trigger hives, other things can also cause them. Understanding the cause can help to address ways to prevent this reaction and avoid the spread of hives.

Allergic hives

Contact with an allergen is the most common cause of hives. Allergic hives arent contagious.

Common allergens that can trigger hives are:

Infection-induced hives

Some viral and bacterial can cause hives. Examples of these conditions include:

These types of hives themselves arent contagious, but if the condition that causes them spreads to you, you could also develop hives.

These infections can spread through:

• airborne germs from sneezing and coughing
• poor hygiene
• sharing eating utensils
• direct contact with the saliva of an ill person
• contact with stool

Youre at more risk of developing an infection:

Environmental hives

Overexposure to the sun, cold, or water can cause physical hives. Body heat from physical activity can also cause a reaction. These can also be triggered by stress.

In addition, you may get hives simply from pressure on the skin, such as from clothes that are too tight.

Chronic hives

If you have chronic hives or chronic urticaria welts appear for up to six weeks at a time. In more severe cases, chronic hives can last for years.

About 1.4% of all people experience chronic hives, more commonly males than females. There is often an underlying condition that is triggering chronic hives, but sometimes there is no obvious cause.

Through lifestyle changes and precautions, you can help to prevent hive reactions. But this depends on whats causing the hives.

If you have a known allergy, you can do the following to prevent hives:

• Avoid eating foods or other substances you are allergic to.
• Carry an EpiPen in case of allergic emergencies.
• Take any allergy medicines as prescribed, but consult your doctor to find alternatives if the medicines themselves contain allergens.
• Avoid using harsh soaps that could cause irritation.
• Avoid wearing tight clothing.
• Wear protective clothing in cold weather or sun exposure.
• Do not swim alone in cold water.

Contagious bacteria can also cause conditions that trigger hives. Here are a few tips you can try to prevent getting this bacteria or virus.

• Wash your hands regularly.
• Practice good hygiene.
• Get vaccinated for preventable infections.
• Limit contact with people who are sick or exhibit hives.

Hives are a kind of itchy rash characterized by welts on the skin. It is usually caused by allergies but can have other causes.

Hives themselves are not contagious, but their cause could be. For example, if you have hives caused by a virus, a person can contract the virus and also develop hives.

The treatment and prevention strategies for hives depend on the underlying cause.

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Hives (Urticaria)

What are hives?

Hives, or urticaria, are flat red welts that can appear anywhere on the skin and usually itch. Hives often occur as an allergic reaction to something eaten or something that has contacted the skin. Foods, medicines, and plants are common causes, but sun exposure, stress, infections, and autoimmune diseases have also been known to cause hives.

Symptoms include an itchy, stinging pink rash of slightly swollen skin. The rash may wax and wane in severity. Acute hives typically resolve within six weeks, but chronic hives (urticaria) can persist for months or years.

Hives often resolve on their own, especially in children. Otherwise, treatment for acute hives involves oral antihistamine medications to help relieve the itching and stinging. Chronic hives that do not improve with antihistamines may be treated additionally with corticosteroids, antibiotics, and other stronger medicines. A study found that 35% of people with chronic hives, are symptom free within one year, with another 29% having some reduction of symptoms.

You can safely treat this condition on your own as long as you does not develop trouble breathing. Any antihistamine (like Zyrtec, Clarinex, etc) works.

How to Tell the Difference Between Hives and Rashes

Rashes cause changes in skin color or texture. Hives are a type of rash that involves raised itchy bumps. Not all rashes cause hives to develop.

Many people think that hives and rashes are the same, but thats not exactly accurate.

If youre concerned about your skin, its important to know when a rash is caused by hives and when it might be caused by something else.

In this article, well explore the difference between hives and rashes, plus identify the symptoms, causes, and treatment of each.

Hives characteristics

Hives (urticaria) are raised, itchy bumps that can be large or small in size. They may be red in color or the same color as your skin. They may also come and go quickly or last a long time.

A breakout of hives can occur all over the body or only in one or two localized areas.

Click here to see an image gallery of hives.

Rash characteristics

Rashes are earmarked by changes in the color or texture of the skin. They may or may not have itchy bumps. They may also cause the skin to feel rough and look scaly or cracked.

Unlike hives, rashes dont always itch. Sometimes, they hurt or make your skin feel irritated, scratchy, or uncomfortable. You may have a rash all over your body or in one or two areas.

Click here to see an image gallery of rashes.

This table provides an overview of the characteristics of hives versus rashes:

Symptoms of hives

Hives are itchy. The itch can be intense or mild, long-lasting or of short duration. Often, the bumps caused by hives will be preceded by itching skin. Other times, the bumps and itching will occur simultaneously.

Hives usually occur in clusters, which can erupt anywhere on the body. Hives may be as tiny as pin dots or much, much larger. Their size and shape can also change.

In some instances, hives may morph together, causing very large, itchy areas of skin. The skin surrounding the area where hives occur may look red, swollen, or irritated.

Hives can come and go quickly. They may also linger or recur for weeks, months, or years.

Causes of hives

Hives can occur when too much histamine is released into the body by the immune system. This often is caused by an allergic reaction.

Allergies are thought to be the major cause of hives. You can get hives if you eat or drink something youre allergic to or if you come into contact with something in the environment that youre allergic to.

Additional causes include:

• medications
• external temperatures
• sunlight
• anxiety and nervousness
• certain bacterial or viral infections, such as strep and urinary tract infections

In some instances, it may not be clear whats causing your hives.

Symptoms of rashes

Skin rashes sometimes look and feel like hives. Other times, no bumps on the skin will form.

Skin rashes can be scaly, red, and raw-looking. They may be dotted with blisters, plaques, or welts. They may also hurt, itch, or make skin feel warm to the touch. Sometimes, the areas of affected skin may also become swollen.

Based on the underlying cause, a rash can occur all over your body or only in one or two spots.

Causes of rashes

Rashes have a wide range of potential causes, including allergic reactions. The causes of rashes include:

Hives often disappear on their own. But its helpful if you can identify whats triggering your hives.

If you can avoid exposure to the allergen causing the reaction, your hives will hopefully disappear and not return. Unfortunately, it isnt always that simple.

If you continue to have hives, there are several at-home treatments you can try to get rid of them. These include:

• taking oral antihistamines
• applying cortisone cream to the area
• applying calamine lotion to the area
• soaking the area with a cool compress of witch hazel
• using a cold water compress on the area
• wearing loose clothing that doesnt irritate the skin
• avoiding sun exposure

Hives can last for hours, days, weeks, or longer.

Chronic, long-lasting hives may need more aggressive, medical treatment, such as prescription antihistamines, oral corticosteroids, or biologic drugs. Severe cases of hives may require an epinephrine injection.

Rashes can be acute or chronic. If you have a mild rash, at-home treatments such as those used for hives may be effective.

When determining the best treatment for your rash, its important to consider the cause. Some possible treatments include:

• soaking in a colloidal oatmeal bath
• applying topical corticosteroids to the area
• taking oral antihistamines
• applying topical retinoids to the area
• applying aloe vera to the area
• taking oral or injected prescription medications

Hives and rashes have many potential causes and are fairly common.

People who are prone to allergies may be more likely to get hives or rashes than those who are not. However, a rash or hives can happen to anyone at any age.

If you have long-term hives or rashes, talking to a doctor such as an allergist or dermatologist may help you uncover their cause and determine the best course of treatment.

Hives or rashes may be the result of an allergic reaction or medical condition that warrants immediate medical treatment.

See a doctor if your skin condition is accompanied by any of these symptoms:

• difficulty breathing
• itching or a feeling of constriction in the throat
• severe pain at the site of the rash
• severe pain in the head, neck, or abdomen
• swelling in the face, eyelids, lips, throat, or extremities
• fever
• dizziness
• confusion
• muscle weakness or sudden lack of coordination
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• rash with open sores or blisters
• rash involving the mouth, eyes, or genitals

Just like adults, infants and toddlers can get hives or a rash. These may be caused by nothing more than a bug bite or exposure to new foods.

However, if your baby has hives or a rash, call their pediatrician to discuss their condition, especially if they have any of the symptoms listed above.

Hives and rashes have a wide range of causes and are very common.

Hives are a type of rash, although not every rash looks like hives. Both skin conditions can be acute or chronic.

Its important to try to determine the underlying cause of your hives or rash, as this can help you decide on the best treatment. Often, at-home treatments are enough to treat both conditions.

When accompanied by other symptoms, such as trouble breathing, hives and rashes may require immediate medical treatment.

Hives Symptoms: What They Look Like

Hives are characterized by red or pale-colored welts on the skin, which typically come and go throughout the day, says Sourab Choudhury, DO, a dermatologist and the chief medical officer at the Dermatology Specialists, a private dermatology practice in New York City. Sometimes they itch, burn, or sting.

Usually the welts will be surrounded by clear edges. They may look similar to bug bites, but hives generally will appear and disappear more quickly. They may itch, sometimes severely, and theyre not always the same size or shape. They may be as small as the tip of a pen or as large as a dinner plate. (4) When you press the center of a hive bump on the skin, it likely will turn from red to white, which is known as blanching. (2,3)

Hives may appear on the body grouped together and take over a large area of the skin, or as a couple of individual welts that show up here and there. (4) They can appear anywhere on the body, though some people get them in the same spot over and over again (usually as a result of a specific trigger). (4)

Generally, youll know you have hives simply by seeing the hives themselves. If you experience other symptoms, such as swelling in the eyes, lips, or inside of the throat, or if you have trouble breathing, you should call 911 or see a doctor immediately, says Sapna Palep, MD, a dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology in New York City. These symptoms indicate you may be experiencing a serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. (5)