IF YOU NOTICE raised, red bumps on your skin that are incredibly itchy, you might have hives. Fortuately, they’re pretty easy to treat.
“Hives are usually due to an allergic reaction, and it occurs when mast cells release histamine,” explains board-certified dermatologist David Kim, M.D.
Here’s what happens behind the scenes: Your body stores the chemical histamine inside its cells, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). When you encounter a threat, your immune system releases histamine to protect yourself. The histamine release causes allergy symptoms, such as hives.