Is this a skin allergy?

Question

So, on Tuesday, my thigh felt itchy and I scratched it. Around 5 bumps appeared but after I left them alone for awhile,the itchiness faded and they weren't so bumpy anymore, but there was redness. I thought it was just angry mozzie bites but now, I have it on my arm too and it seems to be developing on my body. It doesn't seem too severe, with just around 3 to 5 bumps each area that looks very much like mozzie bites except the swelling goes down slightly after awhile and I'm going to see a doctor tomorrow (clinic's closed now). My friend said I could have been allergic to an insect which bit me, and I did remember getting an itchy bump in the same area on my thigh but that was around 3 weeks ago!

I'm just asking does it seem like allergy? I know only a doctor can give me an accurate diagnosis, but I just wanted to hear your views on this.

Answer 1

it seems to me like an allergy...have you ever had chicken pox?

Answer 2

What you have is known as urticaria, or more commonly: hives. Basically, they're nothing serious apart from the extreme itchiness and can be caused by a huge number of things, though most of them are idiopathic, which means that there is no known reason.

One of the reasons that this happens is dry skin, and if that's the case, then avoid scratching the bumps because it will further irritate and damage the skin, taking it longer to heal up properly and possibly spreading the hives to previously unaffected regions. Also, try not to take hot showers because that dries out your skin even further.

If you can, go to a pharmacy and ask for Benadryl, which is an antihistamine that controls allergies, though I would recommend using it at night because it tends to make people drowsy as a side-effect. As I am typing this, I have a case of chronic hives that has broken out on my right backhand and knuckles, and have been there for the past 3 days. When they're not itchy and bumpy, they're red patches on my knuckles and as soon as I scratch them, the bumps appear again. Sound similiar? :)