Tips to Soothe Hives in Children
If your child comes to you with patches of swollen red skin with raised welts, you’re looking at a case of hives. Learn how to calm a mild case of hives and relieve your child’s discomfort.
Help! My Skin Is Suddenly Red and Itchy
If you suddenly experience unexplained red, itchy skin, you’re likely having an allergic reaction to an unknown substance, also called allergic contact dermatitis. If you have raised, red welts and red areas on your skin, you likely have hives, a severe reaction to an allergen.
Sometimes, you can figure out what allergen you’re reacting to — for example, if you’re using a new soap or shampoo. On the other hand, it may be a mystery.
You need to seek a specialist to obtain a proper diagnosis and treatment for your allergy. Our board-certified allergists with Advanced Allergy & Asthma perform skin and blood allergy tests to determine what is causing your immune system to overreact to a substance you’ve come into contact with. When you are allergic to a specific substance, just a tiny amount can cause an oversized reaction.
Irritants and allergens that can affect your skin
When considering what could have triggered your itchy skin, ponder any recent changes in your daily routine. Did you buy new clothing? Perhaps you’re using a new laundry detergent or a new beauty product. The following are common substances that can become an irritant or an allergen affecting your skin:
- Makeup
- Soap
- Laundry detergent
- Perfumes/fragrances
- Pollen
- Pet dander
- Nickel
- Latex
- Dyes
- Poison ivy, oak, or sumac
- Insect bites
- Nuts
- Medications
Treating and managing allergies
While contact dermatitis can be frustrating, hives can be life-threatening if anaphylaxis occurs when your airway closes up and you can’t breathe. Our testing can determine what substances you’re allergic to so that we can develop a treatment plan for you.
Medication
We recommend taking a daily antihistamine to help control your symptoms. If your symptoms are non-life threatening and you’re at home, you can take an antihistamine to calm the reaction and apply a hydrocortisone cream or a cool compress. If these don’t relieve your symptoms, we can prescribe an oral steroid.
Epipen for severe reactions
Some patients have life-threatening allergies to nuts, insects, and other triggers. We prescribe an Epi-pen so that you have epinephrine with you if you experience a severe case of hives. We also teach you how to inject the Epi-pen and deliver the medicine.
Allergy shots
We offer allergy shots for allergies that aren’t relieved with prescription medication. Allergy shots desensitize you to the offending allergen.
We begin by injecting a tiny amount of the allergen to gradually build up your tolerance to it. You’ll come in for shots once or twice a week for 3-6 months to gradually increase your tolerance to the allergen. Then, you’ll need maintenance shots, which you may only need about once per month, to ensure your immune system continues to suppress your allergic reaction.
Self-management
Once you know what you’re allergic to, you can eliminate it from your environment or reduce its effects. You can switch cleaning products, avoid fragrances, avoid offending foods, and wear hypoallergenic makeup.
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