Hives Symptoms: What They Look Like

“Hives are characterized by red or pale-colored welts on the skin, which typically come and go throughout the day,” says Sourab Choudhury, DO, a dermatologist and the chief medical officer at The Dermatology Specialists, a private dermatology practice in New York City. “Sometimes they itch, burn, or sting.” On Black or brown skin, hives may appear purplish in color, may match your skin tone, or may appear slightly lighter or darker than your skin tone.

Usually, the welts will be surrounded by precise edges. They may look similar to bug bites, but hives will generally appear and disappear more quickly. They may itch, sometimes severely, and they are not always the same size or shape. They may be as small as the tip of a pen or as large as a dinner plate. When you press the center of a hive bump on the skin, it likely will turn from red to white, which is known as blanching.

Hives may appear on the body in groups and take over a large area of skin, or they may occur as a couple of individual welts that show up here and there. They can appear anywhere on the body, though some people get them in the same spot repeatedly, usually due to a specific trigger.

You may be able to tell if you have hives simply by seeing the hives themselves. If you experience other symptoms, such as swelling of the eyes, lips, or inside of the throat, or if you have trouble breathing, you should call 911 or see a doctor immediately, says Sapna Palep, MD, founder and medical director at Spring Street Dermatology in New York City. These symptoms indicate that you may be experiencing a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.

Acute (short-term) hives will usually disappear within 24 hours. It might seem longer, though, because new hives may appear as old ones disappear. In total, hives can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

If you have chronic hives, however, they will last for longer than six weeks. They may be recurring and come up seemingly at random over many months or years.