Video:How to Prevent Hives Outbreaks
with Dr. Deborah JalimanHive outbreaks can be prevented and treated. Learn what you can do to relieve hives in this video and when you should seek the advice of a dermatologist.
Transcript:How to Prevent Hives Outbreaks
Hi, I’m Dr. Deborah Jaliman, a board certified dermatologist in New York City, here for About.com to talk about hives and how to avoid hive triggers.
Avoid Triggers Causing Hives
If you have hives, then you want to avoid certain triggers, and we know that certain foods are triggers for hives. For example berries, nuts, shellfish are the most common triggers for hives. Also, there are certain medications, especially aspirin and other medications that you might have recently started taking. So, if you started a new medication, be sure to contact your doctor and stop taking that new medication.
Treatment for Hives
If you do have new hives, you may notice that you start to itch quite a bit, and you have these evanescent patches on your skin. They come and go in a matter of hours. If you have hives that stay for more than a day or so, they might not be hives, and they may be something more serious that require the attention of a doctor, and you should go see your doctor because they may require a biopsy.
So, if you do have regular hives you can take an antihistamine, which may get rid of these hives and just avoid these food triggers. Other things that can trigger hives other than foods and medications can be the dander of your pet. So, make certain if you do have a pet that you have your pet washed at least once a week because that also can be a trigger for hives. If you need more information about hives, please go to the website About.com.
