What Do Hives Look Like & How Long Does It Take For Hives To Fully Go Away?

Hives are known to be one of the most common skin conditions that are caused from an allergic reaction. These hives are also known as Welts or Wheals. However, Urticaria is the medical term used for hives. If you are suffering from something similar to hives and want to know more about how hives look like and how long does it take to fully go away, then do read below.

What Do Hives Look Like?

Hives are raised, red and itchy areas on the skin that may vary in their size and shape. One may have one or many hives. These hives may appear on any of the body part. However, they are most common on the legs, arms and the trunk. One may have red blotches on the face. The rash may last for a few minutes or even for several days. It must be noted that hive can be really uncomfortable and they may also recur.

In rare cases, hives may result in breathing difficulties ultimately resulting in severe asthma attack or in some cases the throat swells and closes which can potentially fatal.

How Long Does it Take for Hives To Fully Go Away?

The itching, swelling, and redness of hives can last anywhere from hours to several weeks or even months. In most cases, the hives gradually go away without any treatment; however taking drugs such as antihistamines or corticosteroids might help the hives go away faster. These medicines prevent new hives and also treat the itching of the existing hives.

Acute hives generally last less than 6 weeks. Most cases of acute hives last 24 hours to 48 hours, and in some cases, the rash only last a few hours.

Chronic hives last for long. These hives may take weeks or months to go away, but may again come back repeatedly.

Conclusion:

In case you know the cause of your hives, you must talk to your doctor and take steps to get rid of it and also take essential steps to avoid the cause or the triggers that cause hives. You may require frequent, even daily, doses of antihistamines for preventing recurrences.

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What Do Hives Look Like & How Long Does It Take For Hives To Fully Go Away?