Skin hives, also known as urticaria, is a skin condition characterized by very itchy and raised wheals which may last only an hour or two, or may last as long twenty years or more. There are various forms of skin hives, such as chronic and acute; and allergic and medication induced.

When looking for the causes of skin hives, one of the first routes a medical professional will explore is that of allergies. Specific allergens could be any type of food substance, most commonly nuts (especially peanuts) and sea food, but people are known to be allergic to all sorts of foods, like soy, dairy products, eggs, wheat and legumes. In very rare cases it has been recorded that there are some people who are even allergic to chocolate, certain fruits and/or vegetables and chicken, as examples. Artificial food colorings and preservatives are well known allergens to many and, because they are added to a large variety of processed foodstuffs, they are often ingested unknowingly.

Should the tests done to determine allergies to food products prove negative, the doctor will the look at any medication the patient may be taking. This is because many over the counter and prescription medications may cause an allergic reaction. The most common medications that is a cause of skin hives are antibiotics, penicillin and sulphonamides, aspirin, ibuprofen, dextroamphetamine (a psychostimulant drug) and clotrimazole an antifungal preparation commonly used for yeast infections, athlethes foot, ringworm and oral thrush).

Infections which may cause an outbreak of urticaria or skin hives include heliobacter pylori, a bacterium found in the stomach; and streptococcus bacteria. Similarly, parasites could lead to an episode of urticaria.

One quite common cause of urticaria is the result of scratching the skin to such a degree that the red and itchy wheals appear. This form of the condition never lasts for very long.

In other, much more rare causes of urticaria or skin hives the reaction could be caused by one’s body heat, such as after taking a very hot bath or shower, or having done strenuous exercise. This form of the condition is known as cholinergic urticaria. Cold urticaria is the name given to skin hives caused by the skin coming into contact with very cold temperatures or articles (like ice); or sudden and dramatic temperature changes. Similarly, occurrences of hot urticaria are caused by the skin being in contact with very hot objects or food substances. Pressure caused, for example, by the elastic inside one’s clothes which touches bare skin, bra straps, tight belts and the like often manifests into urticaria or skin hives once the pressure point is relieved, as when such clothes are removed. Only then does the itching begin and the raised red wheal become apparent, giving rise to this form of the condition being known as Delayed Pressure Urticaria. Those people with very fair complexions are prone to an urticaric reaction caused by exposure to direct sunlight.

In exceedingly rare cases of skin hives or urticaria, hard water (called aquagenic urticaria) could be the instigator.

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