Why do Hives Itch?

Ah, yes, the feathered menaces of spring. Few problems are as annoying and seemingly unexplainable as the mysterious itchiness of hives. If you suffer from hives it’s important to learn why they happen, but on another level, the answer doesn’t matter. The question itself is a bit silly: Why do hives itch? Well because we’ve been stung by bees or wasps, or even worse, because your body has developed an allergic reaction to something.

Hives can be miserable for some people who suffer from them. They itch and hurt like the devil. But why do they itch in the first place? And why do they come back over and over again?

Introduction

Hives are a condition in which the skin becomes red and swollen. Sometimes hives itch, but not always.

Before we talk about why hives itch, let’s be clear: hives are not contagious or infectious. They don’t cause any long-term harm and they’re not dangerous. But they can be uncomfortable, inconvenient and embarrassing.

Hives can occur anywhere on the body, but they most commonly appear on the arms and legs. The skin may feel like it’s burning or stinging, or like your whole body is covered with tiny insect bites.

So why do hives itch?

There are two main reasons for this:

The first reason your skin may itch is that you have an allergy to something in your environment (like pollen) or something you’ve eaten (like shellfish). Your immune system reacts to these allergens by releasing histamine into your bloodstream. The histamine causes blood vessels under your skin to dilate (expand), making them appear red and swollen—which is what we call “hives.”

The second reason for itching is because of an allergic reaction to a medication or other substance. This type of reaction also involves histamine being released by white blood cells.

They can be caused by an allergic reaction or irritation to something that touches your skin like clothing, food or chemicals. This irritation causes histamine release and inflammation in the area of your skin where you were exposed to whatever caused your hives to form. The inflammation makes it more likely that you’ll develop more hives if you continue being exposed to allergens or irritants since your body is already primed for another response like this one!