Protect your Skin

The skin sometimes becomes extra sensitive to certain things- food, the poison of bites and stings, heat, cold, pollen and even the effects of nervous upsets. When this over sensitization occurs, the cells of the skin react by producing a poison known as histamine. This poison causes the smell blood vessels to dilate and fluid oozes out of them into the skin in spots, which become swollen and itch violently.

The patient must carefully observe the effect of fish, shell fish, cheese, chocolate, onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, pickles, fruits melons and pork to determine what substance might be producing the condition. Soaps, dogs, cats, wool or silk may also be the cause. If the hives are on the exposed skin the cause may be something that has reached it from the outside. The person may have been spraying insects in the garden or in the house. He may have been near cows or chickens or in the rise fields during pollinating time or in the fields at harvest time. The condition may be seasonal, occurring when certain trees or flower are in bloom.
If the hives are under the clothed part of the body it may possibly come from the soap used in the laundry. It may be due to the kind of cloth worn against the skin or to the food one has eaten recently. All these things must be considered in determining the cause. The best lotion to allay the itching from hives or any other cause is caladryl. It can be purchased from your chemist.