Hives Treatment

Hives is also known as urticaria, and is basically a skin rash that is characterized by raised red welts on the skin. The rash usually itches, and can last for anything between a couple of days to several weeks. Hives can also be chronic, lasting for months, and in a few rare cases, for years. This kind of chronic urticaria is usually idiopathic – which means that there is no apparent cause. The rash simply appears spontaneously, lasts for an indefinite period of time, and may not respond to treatment. Urticaria that is not chronic is known as acute urticaria – this means that it lasts for a short period of time, not more than a few weeks. In such cases of hives, a trigger can usually be identified; the rash is usually allergic.

Identifying the trigger is a very important part of treating hives. This is in a sense the most natural and effective treatment for the condition. In some cases, the substance that causes the rash to develop may be obvious, while in other cases, you might have to work a bit to detect it. Food triggers are usually easy to identify – common ones are eggs, milk, fish, nuts, and certain fruit such as strawberries. If you’re finding it difficult to identify a food trigger, you should start maintaining a diet diary, in which you also note down each attack of hives. Also remember that sometimes it may be the additives, rather than the food itself, that are causing the allergic reaction. See if fresh, unprocessed food causes the same reaction, and if it doesn’t, note down the additives listed on the packaged version of the food. Certain medications can also cause you to break out in hives. If these are over the counter drugs that you are taking on your own, you can simply ask for a substitute. However, if the medication has been prescribed, you need to ask your doctor before stopping or substituting it.

Some of the other causes of hives can be quite surprising, and are difficult to control too. Excessive heat or cold, stress, and some infections can cause you to break out. These factors need to be controlled, like any other trigger, but if this is not possible, then you need to simply treat the rash itself.

The best way to do this is to apply a cold compress – preferably using plain ice or cold water. An effective alternative is cold milk, which is sometimes used with an oatmeal pack. However, you need to be sure that your treatment does not itself include a trigger. If it does, then over the counter antihistamines are options you should consider.