Home remedies and medical treatments can help alleviate itchiness and other hives symptoms. Learn more about treating hives here. Need quick relief from hives? Here’s how to get rid of hives fast, with at-home remedies, anti-itch treatments, and topical creams. Hives are itchy welts that can appear anywhere on your skin and sometimes last minutes or days. They may be a sign of serious issues, especially if you have trouble breathing. Find out about hives (also called urticaria), which is a raised, itchy rash that's usually caused by a reaction to things like food, pollen, insect bites or chemicals. Hives — also known as urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-e-uh) — is a skin reaction that causes itchy welts that range in size from small spots to large blotches. Hives can be triggered by many situations and substances, including certain foods and medications. Angioedema can arise with hives or alone. Hives, or urticaria, are itchy, raised welts that are found on the skin. Hives are often caused by an allergic reaction. Learn the signs and how to identify them. Hives caused by an allergic reaction happen immediately after you’re exposed — for example, right after you eat a food you’re allergic to. In this case, you may also have other symptoms, like shortness of breath, vomiting or dizziness. Hives can appear anywhere on the surface of the skin. Whether the trigger is allergic or not, a complex release of inflammatory mediators, including histamine from cutaneous mast cells, results in fluid leakage from superficial blood vessels. Hives are little bumps caused by an immune system reaction and can be short-term or chronic, and typically resolve on their own. Relief can be found from medications, anti-itch products, and at-home remedies. When in doubt, consult with a healthcare provider or dermatologist. What is urticaria? Urticaria is characterised by very itchy weals (hives), with or without surrounding erythematous flares. The name urticaria is derived from the common European stinging nettle Urtica dioica. Urticaria can be acute or chronic, spontaneous or inducible.