Yesterday I had my follow up check up with my dermatologist regarding the skin rashes that appeared all over my body beginning Monday. On Wednesday I had my initial check up wherein I was prescribed to take Iterax and apply the Petroleum Jelly and Diprolene (Betamethasone) mixture on the red blotches on my skin. True to form, what I was having is Urticaria, which is commonly known as Hives.
Urticaria or Hives
According to the ACAAI (American College & Allergy, Asthma & Immunology), urticaria is a skin condition that affects an estimated 20 percent of the population at one time or another in their lives. It is characterized by itchy, swollen red welts that may last from a few minutes to several hours to several days to several weeks. The inset image is one of the urticaria cases I found on the web which resembles exactly what I experienced beginning Monday.
To be honest, I never had this kind of skin allergy ever since. Although I had eczema which appears whenever I’m stressed or when I eat chocolates urticaria is fairly new to me. The red blotches appeared on my thigh on Monday and in only a matter of hours have quickly spread all over my body.
There are two types of urticaria, such as acute (short-lived) and chronic (long-term). Urticaria is often triggered by allergens, such as insect bites, pollen, pet dander, as well as foods including crab, nuts, eggs, and milk. It may also occur as an allergic reaction to soap, detergent, and makeup. Additionally, emotional stress can maneuver urticaria or hives in other people.
If I am to backtrack the events before I started having the rashes, here’s what I can remember:
- Friday: I ate baby ribs, pasta, and some seafood at T.G.I.Fridays as part of my sister’s birthday celebration.
- Saturday: I had pasta w/asparagus and tacos from The Pancake House.
- Sunday: I had crabs for lunch and grilled fish for dinner
I could say it must be the crab fest I had on a Sunday, but my dermatologist dismissed crabs as the culprit. First, I’ve eaten crabs, shrimps, and other seafood before but I never had any allergic reactions. Second, the allergies occurred the day after, wherein I’ve already eaten other stuff which I don’t have allergies either. My dermatologist concluded that it must be the soap I was using. I was told to switch back to my old Dove soap (extra sensitive). As of today, the hives have somehow disappeared with the help of the medications I was prescribed to take and apply, as well as with the Dove soap I am using. Maybe I should stick to this soap for years or else I’d have those depressing hives once again.
Acute urticaria can last just one day or as long as six weeks, whereas, chronic hives can last for longer than six weeks. I came across a blog wherein the blogger is suffering from urticaria for 10 years already. Not a good lifelong disease, is it? In my case, my personal conclusion is that my urticaria was triggered by stress, over consumption of coffee, sudden and drastic change in diet, and the use of a wrong soap…hahaha. I’d have to say emotional stress accounts for nearly 90% of the circumstances. So I’m promising to myself that I’ll stick to using Dove soap, reduce my coffee intake to one cup per day, and do my best not to worry and over analyze everything 
Symptoms of Urticaria
Urticaria starts itching, followed by swollen red welts. The symptoms can appear on any area of the body and often change shape, move around, disappear, and reappear over short periods of time. The bumps—red or skin-colored “wheels” with clear edges—tend to come on suddenly and go away just as fast. To know more about the signs and symptoms of hives, you can visit ACAAI or MedicineNet.com.
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