5 Ways to Treat Your Chronic Hives 

Hives are raised, itchy welts that appear suddenly and seem to come out of nowhere. 

Sometimes, they last a few hours or a day and then disappear. It’s not unusual to get hives occasionally, but you could deal with them for weeks, months, or even years at a time. You have a chronic condition if they last at least six weeks.

During an outbreak, you could get flare-ups almost daily. While triggers like food allergies, medication, or infections are common with short-term hives, chronic hives often have no apparent cause. 

A seemingly harmless trigger like heat, cold, or exercise can easily provoke a reaction. Even something as simple as scratching your skin can lead to a flare-up. 

At Advanced Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Center PA in San Antonio and Schertz, Texas, our lead allergist, Dr. Patricia Gomez Dinger, doesn’t just treat your symptoms; she takes time to understand your condition and then creates a plan to manage them effectively. 

Here, she shares five practical ways to treat chronic hives.

Identify and avoid your triggers

Understanding what’s causing your symptoms of chronic hives is key to managing them. However, it can be hard to pinpoint your triggers, and you might not detect any clear pattern regarding what sets you off. 

At Advanced Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Center PA, we use your medical history, skin tests, and sometimes bloodwork to identify possible triggers. 

Tracking your symptoms in a journal can also help identify patterns. For example, do your hives flare up after you eat certain foods or exercise? By identifying and avoiding triggers, you might reduce the frequency and severity of your flare-ups.

Manage your stress

Stress can trigger or worsen chronic hives. When stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol, which can affect your immune system and lead to inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, can trigger or aggravate hives. 

Simple practices like mindfulness meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, or even walking outdoors can do wonders for your stress levels.

Over-the-counter and prescription medications

Over-the-counter antihistamines block histamine, a chemical your body releases during allergic reactions and causes itching and swelling. You can take non-drowsy antihistamines, such as loratadine or cetirizine, daily to keep your symptoms under control.

However, we might recommend higher doses or prescription options, like fexofenadine or hydroxyzine, for chronic hives. If antihistamines don’t cut it, other medications like leukotriene receptor antagonists can help by targeting a different pathway in your immune response. 

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy (allergy shots) might be an option if allergens contribute to your chronic hives. Immunotherapy involves exposing your body to small, controlled amounts of the allergen over time, allowing your immune system to build tolerance. 

The goal is to reduce your sensitivity and decrease the frequency and severity of your hives. Immunotherapy isn’t a quick fix; it can take months to see results, but it’s effective for people whose hives are tied to specific triggers, like pet dander or pollen. 

Light therapy 

Light therapy might be the answer if you’ve tried standard treatments with no results. It uses controlled doses of ultraviolet (UV) light to reduce inflammation and calm the immune response in your skin. It’s a safe, noninvasive option that has helped many people who have stubborn cases of chronic hives.

During a session, your skin is exposed to UV light in a controlled environment. While it often takes a series of sessions to see results, many patients find phototherapy to be a highly effective option when other treatments fall short.

The unpredictability of symptoms with chronic hives, combined with the physical and emotional toll of dealing with them, can make life challenging. That’s why finding the proper care is so important. 

At Advanced Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Center PA, we’re committed to helping you understand and manage your condition. Whether you’re looking for answers, relief, or a long-term treatment plan, we’re here to help. Schedule an appointment with us online or call your nearest office today.