It usually starts with an itch on your arm. By the time you look, there's a raised red welt, and a few hours later it has shifted to your neck and brought three friends along. That's urticaria, better known as hives, and it can drive anyone up the wall. For some people it's a one-off after eating something unusual. For others it keeps coming back for weeks or even months. At Dadu Medical Centre, a skin clinic in Delhi, urticaria treatment isn't about swallowing one antihistamine after another. Dr. Nivedita Dadu and her team first try to work out why your skin is reacting, and then help you bring the itch under control and keep it there.
Urticaria is a skin reaction where itchy, raised welts (doctors call them wheals) suddenly appear. They're usually pink or red. Some are tiny dots, others grow as big as your palm, and they can join up into ring or map-like shapes. A single welt usually fades within a day and leaves no mark, but new ones can keep turning up somewhere else.
What's happening underneath is fairly simple. Cells in the skin called mast cells release histamine, which makes tiny blood vessels leak fluid. The result is swelling, and that maddening itch.
Some people also get deeper swelling around the eyes, lips or hands, called angioedema. If the tongue or throat ever swells, or breathing feels difficult, treat it as an emergency and go to a hospital straight away.
Hives can be set off by a long list of things, and sometimes by a couple of them at once.
And honestly, in a good number of chronic cases, no single trigger ever turns up. That doesn't mean it can't be treated well.
You can't always stop hives, but you can cut down how often they show up.
Keep a hive diary. Jot down what you ate, wore or took before each flare. After a few episodes, a pattern often jumps out.
Avoid what you know sets you off. Sounds obvious, yet it's the step people skip the most.
Stick to lukewarm water. A hot shower feels great on itchy skin for a minute, then makes things worse.
Wear loose cotton clothes. Nothing tight, nothing that digs in.
Try not to scratch. A cold compress or calamine lotion works far better than nails do.
Mention your hives to any doctor before starting a new painkiller or antibiotic.
Look after your sleep and stress levels. A tired, stressed body seems to flare more often.
See a dermatologist if it keeps coming back. Hives that last beyond a few weeks deserve a proper look, not just another strip of tablets from the chemist.
Book a free consultation and let our dermatologists work out what keeps bringing your hives back.
Get in touch
Most people who come in with hives have already tried a few antihistamines from the chemist. They help for a while. Then the welts are back, because nobody stopped to ask why they started. At Dadu Medical Centre, the first appointment is mostly about that question. Our doctors go through your meals, medicines, recent illnesses, work, sleep and stress in some detail, since the clue is usually hiding somewhere in there. Dr. Nivedita Dadu then puts together a plan that calms the itch now and works on cutting down how often it returns. You'll leave knowing what to avoid, what to take and when to come back, so you're not left guessing every time your skin acts up.
Too much histamine being released in the skin. Food, medicines, infections, heat, cold, pressure and stress can all set it off, though with chronic hives the trigger often stays unknown.
It begins with a detailed history, and tests if they're needed. Most people are then started on antihistamines, with the dose adjusted until the hives are under control.
No. You can't catch hives from anyone, and you can't pass them on.
Acute hives clear up within six weeks, usually after an obvious trigger. Chronic urticaria keeps returning beyond that and needs a longer plan.
Straight away if your lips, tongue or throat start swelling, or if breathing or swallowing gets hard. Don't wait for a clinic appointment.
The itch often eases within a day or two on the right medicine. Chronic hives can take a few weeks of adjusting before they settle.
Acute hives often don't, especially if you avoid the trigger. Chronic ones can come and go for months, but for most people they fade over time with treatment.
Older ones often did. The ones usually prescribed now cause much less drowsiness, and yours can be switched if it doesn't suit you.
Yes, quite often, usually after a viral fever or a new food. Their dose depends on age and weight, so please don't give them adult tablets.
A cool shower, loose clothes and a cold compress or some calamine all help. Try to keep your hands off, because scratching usually brings up more welts.
Book a free consultation and let our dermatologists work out what keeps bringing your hives back.
Dr. Nivedita Dadu talks about why hives appear so suddenly, how to figure out your own triggers, and the signs that mean you should see a doctor quickly.]
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+91 98109 77786 / +91 96677 21501
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+91 98109 77786 / +91 96677 21501
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