Hives
ALL HIVES ARTICLES









FAQ
Allergic reactions, infections, and certain medications can all trigger hives.
Most cases of hives resolve within a few hours to days, but some may last for weeks. Chronic hives may not go away for months or longer.
No, hives are not contagious.
Cool compresses, wearing loose, comfortable clothing, and antihistamines can help relieve itching from hives.
If you have hives that won't go away after a few days or you experience difficulty breathing or severe swelling, see your doctor.

Jacquelyn Dosal, MD
Medical Reviewer
Jacquelyn Dosal, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist practicing at The Dermatology House in Park City, Utah. Her areas of expertise include acne, rosacea, integrative treatments of inflammatory skin diseases, as well as laser treatment of the skin and injectables.
Dr. Dosal writes cosmetic questions for the certifying exams for the American Board of Dermatology. She is also the deputy editor for the American Academy of Dermatology's podcast, Dialogues in Dermatology.
Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD
Medical Reviewer
Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD combines an undergraduate English degree from Kalamazoo College and a medical degree from Michigan State University in her work as a medical writer, editor, and consultant. Dr. Carson-DeWitt served as editor in chief for two multivolume Macmillan encyclopedias: The Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior and Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco: Learning About Addictive Behavior; she also collaborated on the 18th edition of the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. She has written thousands of articles, in print and online, for health care providers and consumers, including Family Health International, Columbia University, the Mayo Clinic, and GlaxoSmithKline. She is committed to providing accessible information for both medical professionals and consumers.

Asal Naderi, MD
Medical Reviewer
Asal Naderi, MD, is an assistant clinical professor of allergy and immunology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Her areas of focus include allergic rhinitis, asthma, chronic sinusitis with nasal polyposis, chronic urticaria, angioedema, food allergy, drug allergy, and primary immunodeficiencies.
She received her bachelor's degree from the University of California Los Angeles and then received her medical degree from Saint Louis University. She completed her internal medicine residency at University of California Irvine, and her fellowship at the University of California Irvine. She has been a principal investigator in clinical trials for asthma as well as chronic sinusitis.
Outside of the office, she enjoys exercising, cooking and spending time with her family and friends.

Susan Bard, MD
Medical Reviewer
Susan Bard, MD, is a clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an adjunct clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Mount Sinai in New York City. Her professional interests include Mohs micrographic surgery, cosmetic and laser procedures, and immunodermatology.
She is a procedural dermatologist with the American Board of Dermatology and a fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery.
Dr. Bard has written numerous book chapters and articles for many prominent peer-reviewed journals, and authored the textbook The Laser Treatment of Vascular Lesions.

Stephen H. Kimura, MD
Medical Reviewer
Stephen Kimura, MD, is a board-certified allergist and immunologist. He's been in private practice in Pensacola, Florida, for the past 25 years with the Medical Center Clinic, a multi-specialty practice. He enjoys working with people who were seen as patients as children and now are bringing their children to him for care.
Dr. Kimura received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He went on to complete his residency at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and later received additional training in allergy and immunology during his fellowship at the University of Kansas.
Kimura grew up in Hawaii, and says he has many happy memories of coming home from school to go surfing, snorkeling, and swimming at the beaches there.

Jon E. Stahlman, MD
Medical Reviewer
Jon E. Stahlman, MD, has been a practicing allergist for more than 25 years. He is currently the section chief of allergy and immunology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta's Scottish Rite campus and the senior physician at The Allergy & Asthma Center in Atlanta. He served as the president of the Georgia Allergy Society, has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, and was listed as a Top Doctor by Atlanta magazine. His research interests include new therapies for asthma and allergic rhinitis as well as the use of computerized monitoring of lung function.
He received his bachelor's and medical degrees from Emory University. He completed his pediatric residency at Boston Children’s Hospital and his fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology at Harvard University’s Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After his training, Dr. Stahlman conducted two years of clinical research at Boston Children’s Hospital and was part of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, where he taught medical students and allergy and immunology fellows.
Stahlman is board-certified and recertified in allergy and clinical immunology. He served as a principal investigator on phase 2 through 4 studies that are responsible for most of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved therapies for allergies and asthma available today.
Outside of the office, he centers his interests around his wife and three daughters, coaching soccer for many years, and his hobbies include cycling and triathlons.
- Hives (urticaria). Mayo Clinic. October 27, 2023.
