Hives Are Annoying. Here Are the Best Treatment Options
If you have ever had hives or seen hives on someone else, you know how annoying they can be. Not only may they be physically painful, they also can be painful to look at! The dermatologists at Dermatology & Mohs Surgery Institute can help diagnose your hives and then provide appropriate treatment options. Learn more about how to tell if you have hives and what treatment options may be suggested.
What to Know About Hives
About Hives
Nearly everyone will experience some type of hives at some point in their life. Hives are swollen red bumps that often cover the entire body for a short period of time or can last up to a couple days. They are usually associated with itching and sometimes a burning sensation. Hives can appear on the face, lips, throat, ears and other body areas. Hives causes are most often allergic reactions and stress or anxiety. Allergic reactions may result from insect bites, food or alcohol. If you have these symptoms and reactions it is important to see a dermatologist to diagnose the hives. They can then provide you with different treatment options.
Hives Treatment Options
When it comes to treating hives, the first step is to determine the irritant. Try to think back to what may have caused the hives. Did you eat something you were allergic to? Did you use a new laundry detergent? Do you have an insect sting? Once you determine the trigger, you can remember to stay away from it in the future. Next, it is time to find the best treatment based on the severity of the case of hives you have.
If you experience chronic hives, antihistamines will be a great treatment choice for you. Antihistamines keep the swelling at bay and help to stop the itching. Additionally, biologic drugs may be prescribed. If you have rare cases of hives corticosteroids can be prescribed by a dermatologist. For rare but severe cases of hives, an adrenaline injection may be given or cortisone may be prescribed. Treating hives is not a one-size-fits-all. Different treatments may need to be tried or combined for you to see results.
While you wait for the medical treatment to work, there are some things you can do to help stop the itching and provide some relief. Use cool compresses where the hives are. This will help provide relief from itching and stop the swelling. Also, try to sleep and stay in cool areas. Heat can be an irritant and can make the hives worse than they already are. Lastly, wear loose clothing. Tight clothing will rub against the hives that cause the itching. Using one or a mix of the treatment options and following these steps to provide relief can have you feeling better soon, but it does take time for the medicine to kick in and the annoyingness to stop. Hives can disappear in 24 hours, but others may just begin to appear and can continue for several days.
The dermatologist at Dermatology & Mohs Surgery Institute should be contacted as soon as you think you may have a case of hives. If you are in Bloomington, Illinois or surrounding areas, complete this form. We will be in touch to help diagnose you and provide you relief.