Can You Get Hives From Stress

The Link Between Stress And Hives

Whether we are dealing with short-term or long-term stress, the side effects from that stressor arent solely psychological – physical manifestations of stress can occur too. In some people, it may exhibit in the form of an increased heart rate, tummy troubles, or sudden hair loss, while in others, stress can actually manifest physically in the form of urticaria, or hives.

Hives Caused By Infection

Heather L. Brannon, MD

Hives are considered to be idiopathic, meaning that an outbreak can happen spontaneously and the cause isn’t always known. If a cause can be found, the most common cause is an infection. This photo is an example of hives caused by a viral infection.

Other possible causes include an allergic reaction, stress, exercise, sun exposure, pressure on the skin, scratching, and chemical exposure.

Whats The Outlook For People With Itching And Anxiety

Untreated, the cycle of anxiety and itching can repeat over and over, ratcheting up your anxiety level. Frequent scratching can also lead to serious skin issues.

Anxiety and itching can be effectively treated, though. It may take some time, but with professional guidance, you can learn to manage anxiety, ultimately resolving the itch.

Also Check: How To Help Your Puppy With Separation Anxiety

You May Like: How To Reduce Stress In Your Life

Understanding What Causes Stress Rash And How To Treat It

Americans are among the most stressed people in the world, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. While stress may be something we feel emotionally, it can have a significant impact on our physical health. In addition to high blood pressure, headaches and fatigue, skin rashes are common stress symptoms.

What causes stress rash?

Stress rash often affects people who have underlying skin conditions, such as eczema, rosacea or allergies caused by environmental triggers, such as pollen, animal dander or certain foods. Some people even develop rashes from sunlight or weather changes. Still, even without an underlying condition, you can still develop stress rash.

When youre feeling stress, your body releases chemicals that can cause inflammation and make your skin even more sensitive, says Erin Lester, MD, a family medicine physician at Scripps Coastal Medical Center in Solana Beach. This can trigger a flare-up.

What do stress rashes look like?

Stress rashes often appear as raised red bumps called hives. They can affect any part of the body, but often a stress rash is on the face, neck, chest or arms. Hives may range from tiny dots to large welts and may form in clusters. They may be itchy or cause a burning or tingling sensation.

Stress rash treatment

Fortunately, most stress-induced rashes go away on their own within a few days however, they can come back. Some may persist for as long as six weeks.

Preventing stress rash

Try these tips to help manage stress:

Related tags:

Why Does Stress Cause Hives

While it does appear that stress alone can cause hives, the actual reason behind it is not completely clear yet. It’s believed that the hives are a result of the impact that stress has on the immune system. However, scientists do not yet understand the complete connection and more research is needed to understand the cause.

There’s also a secondary connection between stress and hives. There are people who experience hives for unknown reasons that experience stress as a result of it. This could be that they’re stressed about their physical health and why they’re getting hives, or it could be that they’re stressed about their appearance when they have hives.

How Long Do Hives Last?

This is a tough question to answer. Hives can last for just a day, or they could go on for weeks. Many times, as some of your hives are starting to go away, new ones will begin to show up. And, they can come and go over a long period of time. If you find that they continue to come back or you’ve been dealing with them consistently for several days, you may want to talk with your doctor.

You may not know how long your hives are going to be around once you get them, but there are things that you can do to prevent them.

Recommended Reading: Can Stress Lower Your Blood Sugar

The Emotion Effects Of An Anxiety Rash

It can be embarrassing for a person to have a rash. This is especially true if this occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. It is worse enough that you are trying to deal with your anxiety, but to have others notice these blotchy marks on you can make your anxiety worse. Imagine if you are at a fancy party and a photographer is taking your picture while you have this rash or you work a job that deals with customer interaction. It is too stress-inducing to worry about this rash and trying to hide it.

Can Stress And Anxiety Cause You To Break Out In Hives

Stress and anxiety can cause hives. For this reason, sometimes hives might be called stress hives or a stress rash.

For example, when youre under a great deal of stress, your body sends a message to its immune cells, telling them to release powerful chemicals most notably, histamine. Histamine triggers inflammation and the itchiness associated with hives.

Stress is only one of several triggers that can cause symptoms like skin rashes or hives. Other causes of skin rashes include:

• Food allergens, such as peanuts, shellfish, or spicy foods

• Pollen, dust, or animal dander

• Medications

• Irritating chemicals, such as laundry detergents

• Viral or bacterial infections

• Autoimmune disorders, such as thyroid disease

• Insect bites and stings

• Exercise

Hives is a common skin condition that affects people of all ages. However, studies have shown that women are more affected by hives than men.

Also Check: How To Get Rid Of Stress Marks

How Stress Affects Skin

Stress causes a chemical response in your body that makes skin more sensitive and reactive. It can also make it harder for skin problems to heal.

Have you ever noticed that you break out more when youre stressed? This is because stress causes your body to make hormones like cortisol, which tells glands in your skin to make more oil. Oily skin is more prone to acne and other skin problems.

Stress can also:

Make skin problems worse. For example, stress can aggravate psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema. It can also cause hives and other types of skin rashes and trigger a flare-up of fever blisters.

Interfere with daily skin care. If youre stressed, you might skimp on this part of your routine, which can aggravate skin issues.

It can also be stressful to have problems with your skin. Some people feel so bad about how it looks that they keep to themselves, which adds more stress.

If you have an issue that doesn’t heal or keeps coming back, rethink how you handle stress.

What Else Could It Be

Allergic reactions are the most common cause of stress rashes.

Common allergens include:

• Pollen
• Medications

Rashes can also be symptoms of many medical conditions. If your rash doesnt clear up within a few days, talk to a doctor to rule out something potentially serious. While PlushCare does not provide access to dermatologists, we can refer you to a specialist.

Don’t Miss: Can Stress Cause Breast Pain

What Do Kids Have To Be Stressed About

Youd be surprised to learn the amount of stress kids are exposed to these days. Depending on your childs age and personality, the amount of stress and the way he or she deals with it varies. Generally, stress in young children is set off by changes. These might include:

• Discord in the family
• Stressed parents or family members
• Illness

Young children need to feel safe and secure, and when they dont, they get stressed out.

Stressors for older kids come from other age-related sources:

• Relationships with peers
• Moves to a new home or school

Rash From Stress Nerves

Why Would Anxiety Cause a Rash? Its not the anxiety itself that causes a rash, but the stress caused by anxiety. Stress puts your body in a state of extreme tension and releases a great deal of cortisol and adrenaline into your bloodstream both of which are known to lead to skin reactions. Stress also makes your skin more sensitive, so things that would not typically cause you to have a skin.For example: Apply cool compresses, such as a wet washcloth or ice pack, to the affected area to provide immediate, soothing relief. Take an oatmeal bath to help with itchiness. Avoid triggers that could worsen your rash, such as heat or tight clothes.Has life during COVID-19, civil unrest and protests amped up your stress level? Well, that stress might very well lead to a stress rash such as hives or an acne breakout. Stress can also worsen conditions like eczema and psoriasis and lead to hair loss.

You May Like: How To Relax Throat Muscles Anxiety

Also Check: What Am I Stressed About

Can You Prevent Hives

Sois there any good news here? As usual, an ounce of prevention is the way to go:The best way to deal with hives is to try to identify and avoid triggers in thefirst place. If you are prone to hives , beproactive.

Itdoesnt hurt to keep antihistamines on hand, especially if youre dealing witha stressful situation. Meanwhile, schedule time for self-care in your calendarto keep stress levels in check. And ask for help when you need it.

After all, theres no downside to stress management, Dr. Myers points out. Your whole body will thank you inside and out.

Covering Up Anxiety Rash

Not doing anything about your anxiety will make your rash worse. There are those who prefer to cover up their rash than to admit that they are struggling with a mental illness. People with anxiety will tend to wear long sleeves so that no one can see their rash, only to prevent it from breathing. They may also wash their skin too much which will lead to skin irritation. The anxiety of covering up your rash can actually make it stay with you longer. You need to understand your anxiety and know that a rash will continue to come if you do not control it.

You May Like: Can Stress Affect Blood Sugar

What To Do When Stress Gives You Hives

Most people associate hives the raised, puffy welts on your skin that spread when scratched with an allergic reaction, but there are a number of factors that can cause them. One of these factors is stress, and if you find yourself breaking out in hives without another likely cause, its possible that stress is to blame. We spoke to Mary Stevenson, an assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Langone, to learn more about what causes stress hives, and what to do and what not to do if you have them.

What do stress hives look like?Stress hives can look a little like bug bites: both are red, puffy, and itchy, and may appear initially as individual bumps, says Stevenson. However, hives are more often irregular in shape and can join together in larger patches, especially if you scratch them. A bad case of hives may appear as a single large patch of puffy, raised skin.

Why do I have hives?If youre noticing hives or a rashlike reaction, its wise to do a survey of your last few days to look for possible causes before deciding stress is to blame, says Stevenson. Maybe you changed your laundry detergent that week, or you ate all these new foods or started a new medication, she says. Unlike stress, many of these are factors that can be easily eliminated.

Stress Rash On Skin: Symptoms Causes And Prevention

• Stress can increase the level of the hormone cortisol, increasing inflammation in your body, which can lead to hives, acne, eczema and hair loss among other symptoms.
• Warm temps, and caffeinated or alcoholic drinks all can aggravate hives.
• The most common cause of hives is an allergic reaction but hives can also can be caused by a reaction to stress.

Has life during COVID-19, civil unrest and protests amped up your stress level? Well, that stress might very well lead to a stress rash such as hives or an acne breakout. Stress can also worsen conditions like eczema and psoriasis and lead to hair loss. Read on for tips to identify, treat and avoid it from happening.

Recommended Reading: Can Stress Cause Headaches For Days

How Do You Avoid Hive Outbreaks

If you have anxiety and break out in hives, this is your bodys stress response, which means you have to identify what triggers your anxiety and what you can do to manage your stress levels. Chronic hive outbreaks can be managed, and depending on the person, it may be challenging to predict when they happen because they can come in waves without you knowing.

However, identifying your stress triggers and having ways to manage them are both helpful and recommended. It will help to keep a journal to record how youre feeling and situations you may have in your life right now. After reviewing your account, you can group the external stressors you face and separate them from internal stressors you have.

As Mayo Clinic notes, some external stressors include:

• Major life changes, such as getting married or divorced, having a child, or dealing with a loved ones death.
• Environmental, which can include what we pick up from the settings around us. We can be exposed to noise levels that are too high, rooms that are too light or dark, and other factors in the environment.
• Unpredictable events that you couldnt plan for, such as uninvited guests dropping in or facing an increase in your rent or a cut in your pay.

Internal stressors can also bring on hives and other physical reactions to stress. These include:

Why Do I Get Stress Induced Hives And How Do I Treat Them

Stress on its own is enough to deal with, but it brings with it a long list of possible side effects that you could experience. Some of the symptoms are ones that most people are familiar with and many experience. However, there are some symptoms like stress induced hives, that many people don’t associate with stress.

Hives can be connected to other medical conditions, so if you don’t realize that they can be related to stress it may be difficult to diagnose what’s causing them. And if you don’t know what’s causing them, it’s hard to determine the best way to treat them and find relief.

What are Hives?

Hives can be caused by many things. They can be a result of an allergy and can show up after doing things like changing laundry detergent or eating a food that you haven’t tried before.

Hives are a type of rash. They are large raised bumps that can be centralized on a certain area of your body or show up all over. They can be smaller in size but are typically larger than something like chicken pox. However, they can get very large like the size of dinner plates. They have the appearance of a welt.

While you may be embarrassed by the look of hives, the appearance is not the worse part. They can be uncomfortable and painful because they can burn, itch, and sting. And while they aren’t dangerous on their own, they probably aren’t something that you want to deal with.

Recommended Reading: What Tea Is Good For Anxiety And Stress

How Long Does Stress Rash Last

Generally, a single hive disappears within 24 hours or less, and a new hive appears at a different site as the older one subsides. A bout of hives or multiple hives usually takes about six weeks to resolve and is known as acute hives. Hives lasting for more than six weeks are known as chronic hives and should be brought to a dermatologist’s attention.

When To Call Your Dermatologist

You should schedule an appointment with your dermatologist whenever youre concerned about your skin. And hives are no exception. However, there are a few hives symptoms that always warrant a call to your dermatologist.

Book a dermatology appointment if your hives last for six weeks or longer. Hives that persist for this long are considered chronic hives. You should also note whether your hives appear with other symptoms. For example, if you have allergic reaction hives, you might have difficulty breathing or a swollen tongue after eating as well. Your dermatologist may refer you to an allergist or other health professional to diagnose any underlying conditions, but they may prescribe antihistamines and topical creams for treatment.

If youre experiencing frequent hives outbreaks, the team at Pacific Dermatology Specialists can recommend next steps. We offer hives treatment among our medical dermatology services. With locations in Redondo Beach, CA and other communities in the Greater Los Angeles area, we also provide cosmetic and surgical services to support your skin needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Recommended Reading: Can Stress And Anxiety Cause Atrial Fibrillation

Everything You Need To Know About Stress Rashes

According to the American Psychological Association, this past year has been the most stressful in many Americans lifetimes, with about 78% of surveyed Americans saying the pandemic is a significant source of stress in their lives.

Stress manifests in different ways on an individual, but for many, it can appear on the skin.

The skin is the largest organ on the human body.

It protects your inner organs from the external environment, but sometimes it can become irritated resulting in a skin rash.

Rashes may be caused by a number of things, including allergies, fungus, viral or bacterial infections, as well as heat.

Stress is also a contributor to rashes and other skin conditions.

While most common rashes are not considered dangerous, a stress rash may be uncomfortable.

The good news is, a rash may be managed and contained if you understand its cause and symptoms.