How Can You Protect Hives from Occurring on Your Skin?

Around % of 20 people are affected by hives at least for a little or long time during their whole lives. The symptoms of hives start from itching and then turns to swollen red welts. Hives is also known as ‘Urticaria’. This skin condition can be triggered by various types of situations and substances. People can stay safe and protect them from hives by avoiding such matters. Hives have occurred with itchy red or skin-colored bumps and then it starts blanching.

Hives-triggering matters

• Certain foods like peanuts, nuts, eggs, and shellfish etc. can trigger the hives to occur on the skin.
• Particular types of medicines like antibiotics, aspirin, and ibuprofen can trigger hives.
• Bites or stings of insects can trigger hives.
• Particular physical stimuli like cold, heat, pressure, sun exposure, exercise, latex, and blood transfusions can trigger hives.
• Viral infections like infectious cold, infectious mononucleosis and bacterial infections like urinary tract infections and strep throat infections can cause hives appearance.
• Some plants like poison oak or poison ivy and pollen can trigger this skin disease.

To be Protected from the Hives

To stay protected from the hives, people need to avoid hives-triggering matters and they need to follow some other instructions.

• Avoiding known triggers

The most effective prevention measures for preventing hives is to avoid matters which trigger hives on the skin. People can avoid these matters that are described above, besides, they should undergo some allergy tests which can trigger this skin problem an avoid those matters.

• Proper medications

For chronic hives, generally, antihistamines are suggested to the patients as the first line and if it doesn’t work properly, then omalizumab injection is prescribed as the next step. Medicines should be taken properly in time to get an early cure.

• Maintaining skin care

The scratching increases the hives’ severity and dry skin tends to be itchier. So, patients should keep their skin moisturized. Patients can take bathe frequently to reduce the itchiness and they can keep their skin cool by using the anti-inflammatory creams or medicines, or by using a cold compressor.

• Wearing loose and light clothes

If friction and pressure occur constantly on the skin, it can worsen the hives. So, patients should wear light and loose clothes.

• Taking vitamin D supplement

Many reports proved that regular supplement of vitamin D3 with the patients’ allergy medicines, a positive impact to the hives’ control can be seen within a week. So, on the doctor’s suggestion, taking vitamin D3 can be used as a helpful step for chronic hives.

• Alternative therapies

Stress and depression are proved the hive-triggering matter. So, techniques to promote relaxation can reduce stress and so, can reduce hives. Stress reducing techniques can be meditation, deep breathing and yoga. Some reports showed that the acupuncture process helps to reduce the severity and symptoms of chronic hives. But this system has not been confirmed. So, to use this system, doctor’s suggestion is needed.

• Managing emotions

As stress and depression can make the hives worse, managing emotions is a reliable step to reduce the hives. Chronic hives are increased for emotional distress, fatigue, and isolation feelings. Therapies to reduce the emotional pressure can be a good step for decreasing hives.

When the cause of hives’ appearances can be found and identified, doctors suggest avoiding the reason.

Types of Hives

The hives are of two types: chronic hives and physical urticarial. Patients should go for a doctor to be checked up as soon as it occurs on the skin and identify the types of hives.

• Chronic hives or urticaria

When hives tend to stay for a longer time, maybe, for six weeks or for months and years, these condition is marked as the chronic hives. When the cause for the hives cannot be identified, then it is called the chronic idiopathic hive. Generally, these types of chronic hives are caused by the overactive immune system of the body. These hives can be associated with thyroid disease, hormonal issues, and the most dangerous thing is that it can be associated with cancer but in very rare cases.

• Physical hives or physical urticaria

When the hives are triggered by the physical causes, it is called the physical hives. Physical urticaria is easily being triggered by rubbing and scratching. In this case, the symptoms of hives occur for less than an hour. Physical pressure caused by clothes, or sandals, can trigger the hives which can last for 6 to 8 hours. The temperature fluctuation can cause the hives. When people are exposed to cold temperature followed by rewarming, people can be attacked by life-threatening hives. The cholinergic urticaria can be formed by an increase in the body temperature which can be caused by sweating, hot showers, exercise, and anxiety. Sun exposure for a long time can also trigger solar urticaria. The inflammation of the vessels of blood and vasculitis can cause painful hives which can leave bruise which can last for a day.

Hives should be controlled by avoiding triggering fact. It should be checked immediately after it occurs on the skin and should be taken medicines.