Sufferers of hives have an interest in understanding what causes hives on the body because doing so is the first step towards finding an appropriate form of treatment. Hives are triggered by a number of different factors. Additionally, they manifest on the body in a variety of different ways. In some cases, the hives are localized, affecting only the immediate area to which the triggering factor was exposed. In other cases, they are generalized, affecting even those parts of the body to which the factor was not directly exposed.

In many cases, the hives present as itchy skin with reddish welts that appear on certain parts of the body. These eventually disappear then reappear elsewhere on the body. The body parts on which they appear tend to be the limbs and trunk. When the hives are particularly severe, they can appear on the face, together with angioedema. Sometimes, because of the rapidity with which hives occur and then disappear, a patient may be symptomless by the time she consults a doctor. Taking pictures of the hives before they disappear would help the doctor make a diagnosis.

What Causes Hives On The Body: Considering Cold, Stress And Solar Triggers.

Rather than limiting oneself to an exploration of what causes hives on the body, it might do to also look at the presentation of specific types of hives. One might consider hives that are triggered by exposure to the cold, for instance. The common variety of these hives tends to appear on those parts of the body that have been exposed to the cold. Thus, somebody who left only his legs exposed to the cold would likely have hives on the legs alone. On the other hand, somebody who had the hereditary form of these hives would develop them all over his body after exposure to the cold.

Cholinergic urticaria tends to manifest as small hives on the arms and upper trunk. Sometimes they extend upwards to the neck and downwards to the thighs. What causes hives on the body in this instance is the person’s involvement in activities that raise the body temperature.

In the case of solar urticaria, what causes hives on the body is the exposure of the skin to certain wavelengths of light in the sun’s rays. Typically, it is the parts of the body that have been most highly exposed to the sun that present with hives. The hives do not last very long. Often, they are no longer visible 24 hours after one has stopped exposure to the wavelengths of light in question.