What’s Triggering My Hives?

Do you suddenly — or regularly — develop itchy, red, raised welts on your skin, but have no idea why? This condition is urticaria, aka hives, which are important indicators of an allergic reaction that you should take seriously. 

Just as significant as knowing what hives indicate are the many things that can trigger them, as well as how to effectively treat them to restore your comfort and address allergy issues.

The expert provider team at the Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Central Texas diagnoses and treats hive-related allergies with the most advanced approaches. They’re also committed to ensuring that you’re educated about preventive steps you can take to ward off uncomfortable hives and manage the allergies associated with them.

Hives are no fun

If you’ve experienced hives, you know that as soon as you feel and see them, you want them gone. 

Hives symptoms include:

• Swollen skin
• Patches of skin covered in welts
• Intense itchiness
• Burning sensation
• Stinging
• Skin discoloration

Hives can erupt in different sizes and cover body areas that are different sizes, depending on the severity of the case. Some hives can be up to several in width and length.

Hives become more than an uncomfortable nuisance — and a danger — when they’re associated with an intense allergic reaction. If you visit your Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Central Texas provider with hives, they’ll want to assess you thoroughly to rule out or treat, if needed, an abrupt reaction to an allergic reaction to something like food or an insect sting.

Getting to the root cause of hives

The vexing thing about puffy, itchy hives is that many things can trigger them, and to create an effective, customized treatment plan, your provider needs to ascertain what’s prompting the hives. Possible causes are:

• A food allergy (common ones include nuts and seafood)
• An allergy to medication
• Insect stings
• Exposing your skin to the sun
• Very low or high temperatures
• Animal dander
• Pollen 
• Infections
• Clothing that’s too tight
• Menstrual cycle
• Perspiration (Bumps may appear after a workout.)
• Chronic conditions, like diabetes, asthma, and lupus
• An allergy to latex 
• Metals
• Detergents
• Disinfectants
• Fragrances
• Flavorings
• Plants, like poison ivy
• Stress

As you can see, hives have almost limitless causes. They also can occur in any of several categories. Acute hives develop as a result of an allergy, while contact hives are a type of acute hive that emerge when your skin comes into contact with something you’re allergic to or another irritant. 

Chronic hives are those that plague you daily for at least six weeks. Infections and immune system issues are often at the root of chronic hives; skin exposed to sunlight, sweat, and extreme temperatures can also be a cause. 

Since hives can be life-threatening, it’s critical to seek treatment if you develop them. After your provider determines the cause of your hives — often through allergy testing — they formulate a treatment plan that may include topical creams to soothe itching, allergy shots, anti-inflammatory drugs, or immune-suppressing medications. 

If you’re diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy — like an allergy to bee stings that can make you suffer anaphylaxis (rapid onset of hives, breathing problems, throat constriction, etc.), for instance — a requirement will also be to make sure you have an epinephrine injection with you at all times.

Your provider will talk to you about creating a strategy to avoid triggers as well, like: 

• Changing clothes and showering after coming in from time outside to get rid of pollen
• Avoiding certain foods
• Cleaning and dusting often if you get welts from dander or dust
• Using unscented products
• Managing your stress

This way you can minimize the chances that you’ll experience an unwanted case of hives. 

If you’re interested in getting evaluated or treated for allergies that cause hives, feel free to call or message one of the Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Central Texas offices. We’re located in Killeen, Georgetown, and Round Rock, Texas.