In general, there are two different types of hives categories recognized by the dermatologists. Assuming you are not interested in the different types of bee hives, the dermatologist will need to determine which of the two types of hives you are experiencing before beginning treatment, if treatment is even required.

The medical term for hives is urticaria. Dermatologists distinguish between the hives types by categorizing them as either Ordinary Urticaria or Chronic Urticaria. In the most general description, ordinary hives are those that last from a few hours to less than 8 weeks. Chronic hives continue on past the six to eight weeks and may even last for years.

 

Ordinary hives

 

Of the different types of hives, this is by far the most common. It is estimated that at least 20% of the general population will come up with one of the different types of hives and most of them will be of the ordinary variety. They usually appear quite suddenly and often for no obvious reason. Many times you will never know the reason because this acute condition can often go away just as fast as it appears.

In general, they will present as slightly raised welts appearing in groups fairly close together in one area of the body. Often times the disappearance in one area will be followed by reappearance in another area.

 

Chronic Hives

 

The other main category of the different types of hives is Chronic Urticaria. The distinction is that the condition lasts for longer than 6 to 8 weeks. There is no definite time period to separate the different types of hives, but if the condition goes on longer than a couple of months, you most likely have the chronic urticaria variety. It is at this point that you should begin considering investing the time and expense to find out the cause of the hives. This can be very time consuming and is usually a “shotgun approach” type of diagnosis procedure. The range of causes is so wide that you will likely have to rule out various diseases, drug allergies, food allergies, infections, hormonal disorders and other conditions that mimic the symptoms of hives.

 

Other types of hives

 

Chronic urticaria can be further broken down into different types of hives that fall under the chronic broad category.

  • Physical urticaria is caused by direct skin stimulation and usually manifests at the site of the stimulation. Types of physical stimulation that can cause hives include temperature extremes, sun, sweating, pressure, vibration, and even exercise.
  • Dermatographism are one of the different types of hives that is caused by excessive scratching or stroking of the same area. This sometimes is the result of acute hives causing itching that turns into a habit that feeds on itself. It often occurs with other forms of urticaria.
  • Hereditary angiodema is a painful type of hives characterized by swelling and is passed on down through generations of families.

 

Before effectively treating any of the different types of hives, the root cause has to be determined. If you have a type of hives that comes and goes rapidly, it may be helpful to take pictures of different types of hives attacks that you get before they disappear so you can show them to your doctor to aid in the diagnosis process.