How to calm down hives
How to treat hives
Home remedies and medications can help treat hives quickly and effectively. Examples include cold compresses, aloe vera, antihistamines, and more.
Hives are intensely itchy, discolored, raised areas of skin. They may occur anywhere on the body. Hives usually have a trigger, both allergic and non-allergic.
While the symptoms of hives can be very irritating, there are many ways to treat, soothe, and get rid of them.
In this article, we detail how to treat hives at home, medical options, and possible complications.
What does hives look like? Pictures and more
People often use home remedies to treat hives and do not seek further medical attention or intervention. In fact, many cases of hives disappear naturally within minutes or hours of appearing. Most often, symptoms of hives will disappear within 24 hours, but in some cases, it may take a few days.
Effective home remedies to treat hives include:
- Applying a cold compress: A person can apply a cool, damp cloth to the affected area. This can provide relief from itchiness and help reduce inflammation. A person can use a cold compress as often as necessary.
- Bathing in an anti-itch solution: Oatmeal and baking soda baths can soothe skin and reduce irritation. Adding witch hazel to a bath is another effective home remedy.
- Applying aloe vera: The healing properties of aloe vera may soothe and reduce hives. However, it is best to do a patch test before applying aloe vera to a wider area.
- Avoiding irritants: This includes perfumes, fragranced soaps or moisturizers, and staying out of the sun. A person should also aim to maintain a comfortable temperature and wear loose, cotton clothing.
Some people with chronic hives
In more severe cases of hives, medical treatment may be preferable. Some over-the-counter options include:
People with more severe and persistent hives may need to see a dermatologist. These doctors specialize in conditions of the skin, hair, and nails.
Hives are a skin condition that usually results in a raised, itchy rash. There are several different types of hives, although the effects are mostly the same.
Hives may be the same color as the surrounding skin or may have a reddish hue. This discoloration may be less evident on darker skin tones.
Learn more about hives on black skin here.
Acute urticaria and acute angioedema
Acute urticaria is a short-lived type of hives. In this condition, rashes last less than 6 weeks and usually occur due to an adverse or allergic reaction to certain foods or medications. Urticaria only affects the upper layer of the skin, called the dermis.
Infections and insect bites can also cause this type of rash.
Angioedema is the rapid swelling of the area beneath the skin, known as the mucosa. A person with hives will not always experience this type of swelling. Angioedema can occur with many different disorders.
Acute angioedema can occur with acute urticaria and is essentially anaphylaxis of the subcutaneous tissues. It is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction. It can lead to anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal.
Learn more about anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock here.
Chronic urticaria and chronic angioedema
Chronic urticaria and chronic angioedema last for more than 6 weeks.
In these conditions, a person will typically experience daily, or almost daily, symptoms without an allergic, infectious, or drug-related cause.
Chronic urticaria and chronic angioedema more commonly result from underlying medical causes, such as thyroid disease, cancer, or hepatitis.
Hives affect around 20% of people at some point during their lifetime. They are more common in children and female adults than in male adults.
A hives outbreak happens when high levels of histamine and other chemical messengers release into the skin, causing a rash and other symptoms to surface.
The high levels of histamine cause blood vessels in the affected area to open up and start to leak. The resulting fluid in the tissues causes swelling and itchiness.
Different triggers may cause a person to have an outbreak of hives. Some common causes include:
- an allergic reaction to food, an insect bite, or an animal
- a reaction to a plant irritant, such as nettles
- an infection, such as the flu or a cold
- certain medications
- preservatives and food additives
If hives develop, it is useful to identify the trigger. Factors that can worsen hives include:
Physical urticaria
The effects of heat exposure and overheating can cause a type of hives called physical urticaria.
Common triggers for physical urticaria include:
- extreme heat or cold
- overexposure to the sun
- excessive sweating
- clothes rubbing the skin
This rash rarely spreads beyond its original location.
Some people experience dermatographism, a type of physical urticaria. This condition occurs
Some people refer to dermatographism as skin writing. The condition is
What is the difference between hives and a rash? Pictures and more
The severity of a hives can vary between individuals. Most symptoms are manageable at home, but medical attention may be necessary in some cases.
A person should see a doctor if:
- symptoms last more than a few days
- symptoms worsen over time
- the rash is painful or leaves a bruise
- symptoms interfere with daily life
- they experience dizziness
A person will need immediate medication attention if they experience:
- any swelling of the tongue, mouth, or throatSimilarly
- difficulty breathing
- tightness in their chest
A doctor will examine the rash and ask questions to determine the cause. Doctors may also use blood and allergy tests to rule out specific causes.
Hives are usually treatable and do not cause complications on their own. However, in more severe cases, angioedema may occur.
Angioedema is a buildup of fluid in layers of the skin that causes swelling and can affect the eyes, lips, hands, feet, and genitals. Doctors can prescribe medication to manage and reduce swelling.
Recurrent hives can negatively impact the quality of a persons life, causing them to feel stressed or anxious and can even lead to depression. A person should always speak to a doctor if hives are affecting their quality of life.
Here are some questions people often ask about hives.
How do you treat hives naturally?
Ways of treating hives naturally include:
- avoiding scratching
- applying a cool compress
- bathing in lukewarm water with colloidal oatmeal
- wearing loose, cotton clothing
- avoiding soaps with fragrances or strong chemicals
- applying aloe vera
What is the fastest remedy for hives?
A cool compress may offer immediate relief from discomfort, but topical medicines may be more effective. Ask a pharmacist about over-the-counter options.
Hives are a skin condition that results in itchy, raised, patches of skin. There may also be discoloration.
Hive can result from allergic or non-allergic causes. Home remedies and medications can often reduce symptoms.
People with severe hives may have a risk of further complications. A person should seek medical advice if symptoms are severe, ongoing, or affect their quality of life.
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 youlikely have already experienced hives at some point in your life. Hives can reallystartle you when they suddenly appear on your skin. Most often they are due to some type of allergic reaction. Thankfully, theyre typically not longlasting and relatively harmless. But, sometimes hives can indicate alife-threatening allergic reaction, or they can become chronic. (1)
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 bea 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 thatone in every five people will be affected by ahives outbreakat some point in his or her life. (2)
Do you know the causes and symptoms of hives? Its helpful to know both so that you can avoid hives, or recognize them if they do appear on yourself or a loved one. Conventional hives treatment comes with the possibility of unwanted side effects. Why not choose a natural hives treatment? Nobody likes walking around with bumps or welts on their skin. Lets talk about how to avoid hives, how to identify hives and how to treat hives naturally.
What AreHives?
Urticaria, or hives, are red bumps that suddenly appear on your skin.Do hives itch? Yes, hives can be itchy. They can also sting or burn. What do hives look like?The appearance of hives can vary depending on the person and the cause. Hives often appear as swollen, pale or dark red bumps that are either tiny.They also can be larger and interconnected, forming welts. Sometimes the welts can merge together forming larger plaques. These plaquesbe as large as a dinner plate in size! (3)
How long do hives last?Mild hives canappear suddenly and be completely gone a few minutes later. Othertimes, hives can last for hours and even several weeks to months. Acute episodes of urticaria last for six weeks or less. Hives that last for six weeks or less are acute hives. Those that remain for morethan six weeks are chronic hives. Its nice to know that the majority of hives cases dont last longerthan 24 hours. (4)
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Common Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of hives can include: (5)
- Swelling of the surface of the skin into red or skin-colored welts (called wheals) with clearly defined edges.
- Wheals are typically round or oval and canget bigger, spread, and join together to form larger areas of flat, raised skin.
- Whealscan also change shape, disappear, and reappear within minutes or hours.
- You know you have hives when you press the center of a wheal and it turns white. Thisis called blanching.
- Itching
Hives can appear on any area of the body,especially on the trunk, thighs, upper arms and face.
Related: Chlorine Rash Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention
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 anallergic reaction, your skin can break out within minutes of exposure to the allergen. Some common allergens that can cause hives include: (6)
- Certain foods, especially food allergies to shellfish, tree nuts, milk, and some fruit
- Medications, especiallyantibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and ibuprofen.
- Allergy shots
- Pets and other animals
- Pollen
- Insect bites and stings
When hives occur due to an allergy, high levels of histamine and other chemical messengers arereleased into the skin.Thesesubstances 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. (7)
Sometimes someone may haveallergy hives and other times a hives breakout has nothing to do with allergies. Hives can also result from one of the following: (8,9)
- Stress or anxiety
- Exercise
- Excessive perspiration
- Infections such as mononucleosis
- Viruses (viral hives)
- Illness, including lupus, autoimmune diseases, leukemia
- Extreme cold or sun exposure
- Scratching
- Contact with chemicals
- Vibration
- Pressure on the skin
Hives resulting fromphysical causes, like pressure, cold, or sun exposure, are called physical hives. Heat urticaria or heat hives are caused by an increase in body temperature from things like hot showers or baths, spicy foods or exercise.Sometimes hives occur due to unknown causes. This is known asidiopathic urticaria. Hives can also become a chronic problem. (10)
When a small child gets hives, its almost always due to an allergy. Hives on a baby, or hives on a toddler, can be particularly disturbing. Many parents wonder how can you tell hives vs rash. There is a quickskintest called wheal and flare that can help confirm whether or not its hives. According to Jon McCullers, M.D., pediatrician-in-chief at Le Bonheur Childrens Hospital in Memphis, if your child has a big red patch on his or her skin and you see swelling (thats the wheal), drag a fingernail over the area and if you see a brighter redness (flare) then its an allergic reaction. (11)
Conventional Treatment
The majority of the time, a doctor will know that you have hives just by looking at your skin. To get to the root of your hives, a doctor also, hopefully, will ask you about any recent life stressors, or exposure to possible or known allergens. If a patient complains of itchiness, he or shewill often recommend diphenhydramine. Common side effects of antihistamines include drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth/nose/throat, upset stomach, increased appetite and weight gain, thickening of mucus, vision changes and feeling nervous, excited or irritable. (12)
When hives are severe, some doctors may suggesta course of oral steroids. Some common side effects of oral steroids include acne, blurred vision, cataracts or glaucoma, easy bruising, difficulty sleeping, high blood pressure, increased appetite and weight gain, increased growth of body hair, insomnia, lower resistance to infection, muscle weakness, nervousness, osteoporosis, stomach irritation or bleeding, sudden mood swings, puffy face, water retention, swelling and worsening of diabetes. (13)
When hives become chronic,a patient will likely be referred to a dermatologist and/or an allergy specialist for further investigation.
9 Natural Remedies for Hives Treatment
Lets talk about the best part of this article how to get rid of hives naturally, as well as how to prevent them in the first place!
1.Be Patient and Dont Irritate
Hives treatment may not be needed if hives are mild. If you wait a short time, they can disappear on their own without any intervention. If you want to do something to help them go away faster and to reduce itching and swelling, make sure that you do nottake any hot baths or showers while you have hives. Also, avoid wearing anytight-fitting clothingbecause this can further irritate the area where you have hives. (14) This all applies to babies or toddlers with hives as well. Make sure you dont bathe a child with hivesin water that is too hot and keep their clothing loose-fitting and breathable.
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2. AddressAllergies
First off, if you think you know what caused your hives, then avoid further contact or consumption with whatever it is. If you suspect that your hives are being caused by a particular food youre eating or a certain pet you currently have in your home, then it is a good idea to get some allergy testing done. Allergy testing can reveal your hive triggers, which you can then avoid (as much as possible) and you can greatly preventthe likelihood of another undesirable hives rash. (15) Keeping a food diary can also help a hive sufferer to pinpointany food allergies.
3. Calm the Inflammation
To calm hives and help them vanish that much quicker, make sure youre not using any products on your body that will only make the inflammation and itching worse. You dont want to be using anything harsh on your body right now. Thisincludes soaps and other body care products, as well as the detergent you use on your clothing. Opt for natural products free of unhealthy synthetic fragrances and other aggravating ingredients. Another simple way to calm hives is to take a cool bath or shower. You can also use acool compress on the hives to help relieve any itching. (16)
4. Oatmeal Bath
Natural hives treatment can come in the form of a calming oatmeal bath. Simply add a cup or two of uncookedoatsinto a stocking or cheesecloth. Tieit up with a rubber band so the oats cant leak out. Put the oats under the running water as your bath fills up. Your bath will be infused with oatmeals skin-calming goodness. Oats are known for their ability to calm skin inflammation, thanks to their naturally high salicylic acid content.Taking an oatmeal bath for hives can help calm these unwanted eruptions for both adults and children. Just make sure the water is warm not too hot or too cold since temperature extremes can just make hives worse. (17)
5. Stress Reduction
Can stress cause hives? The answer is definitely yes. Hives and stress can go hand-in-hand. When you experienceexcessive short or long term stress, it takes a toll onbodys immune system. Since the stress is throwing off your immune system, your body responds by internally sending out histamine to fend off your current health problem, whichin this case is stress. Histamine release doesnt make stress go away, but it can cause hives to start popping up in various places. Basically, this is an allergic reaction to stress and your body is sending out visible signals (hives) to let you know that its time to chill out. (18)
The very best way to get rid of stress hives is to remove as much stress from your life as possible. There are so many effective ways to reduce stress on a daily basis. Find what works best for you and make it a part of your routine. Exercise is always one of my stress boosters. Other great ideas for stress hives treatment, and hives treatment in general, include yoga, massage, journaling and prayer.
6. Baking Soda
Making a paste of baking sodaand water can help to calm hives and also prevent new ones from popping up.Baking soda is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate. Ithas been used since ancient times as a soother and cleanser.Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with some cold water to create a paste and then rub it on the affected area. Let it dry completely before washing it off. You can do this a few times a day, if needed. Relief is typically immediate from this easy hives treatment.
7. Witch Hazel
Dabbing witch hazel on hives several times per day while hives are present can help to calm the inflammation and itching. Witch hazel is a skin-healing liquid with strong antioxidant and astringent properties. You can also trymy recipe that includes witch hazel, along with many other natural anti-hive ingredients:DIY Rash Cream with Aloe & Lavender.
8. Supplements
Quercetin and evening primrosearetwo supplements for hives that will calm and get rid of your hives faster. (19)Quercetin is a natural antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory. Test tube studies have revealed thatquercetin prevents immune cells from releasing histamines, which cause allergic reactions like hives. (20) Other studies have also shown that quercetin, a natural medicine and phytochemical, is as effective at fighting allergies as some prescription medications, all with little to no side effects.(21) Other supplement recommendations includevitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D and fish oil. (22)
9. Acupuncture
Acupunctureis another option for natural hives treatment, especially for chronic hives. Itis a holistic health technique that stems from Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. Trained practitioners stimulate specific points on the body by inserting thin needles into the skin. When it comes to hives, acupuncture aims toprovideimmediate relief from the swelling and itching. Acupuncturealso tries to get to the root of the hives, including any underlying imbalances or triggers that are causing thehives. Some common acupuncture points for hives include Spleen 10 (SP 10) and Large Intestine 11 (LI 11). One double-blind studyplacebo-controlled study treated 40 patients with chronic urticaria usingeither real acupuncture or sham acupuncture for three weeks. The subjects treated with real acupuncture experienced partial remissions of symptoms after three weeks. The effectiveness of the acupuncture treatments appeared to increase with each additional treatment. (22)
Related:Top 7 Benefits of Green Tea: The No. 1 Anti-Aging Beverage
Precautions
Seek urgent medical attention for yourself or your child ifhives are severe and/or cover a large area of your body, or if you have other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or a fever. Chronic urticaria or chronic hives should be evaluated by an allergist or immunologist to determine proper hives treatment.
Angioedema is a similar skin issue to hives, but it usually last longer than hives. Swelling isunder the skin instead of on the surface. With angioedema, a person typically has deep swelling around the eyes and lips and, sometimes, of the genitals, hands and feet. In rare cases, angioedema of the throat, tongue, or lungs can block the airways, making it hard to breathe. This can be life threatening. (23)
In rare cases, hives or angioedema can be early symptoms of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxisrequires immediate medical attention. If you suspect you are havingan anaphylactic reaction, seek urgent medicaltreatment. Without proper treatment, anaphylaxiscan be deadly.
Always check with your doctor before using any natural remedies if you are taking medication or being treated for any ongoing health condition(s).
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 shouldmake 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.
