There are two main types of urticaria, the first being that caused by an allergy and the second that which occurs due to any other factor and even unknown causes. Urticaria or hives is recognised as a skin disease, which cause visible red patches and itchy bumps on the surface of the skin.

The majority of people who are unfortunate enough to suffer from urticaria may experience an outbreak as a result of being in a particular place where exposure to a certain substance is considerably high. In other words they have a reaction to their environment which triggers off an allergic reaction. There are also those who develop a case of urticaria after taking certain medications and it has been proven that certain medicines and drugs actually do produce side effects including that of hives.

In the non allergic causes of urticaria it has been discovered that a mere scratch or brushing of the skin can provoke the typical symptoms of hives. Those with highly sensitive skin are extremely prone to urticaria and this therefore becomes problematic in everyday life. Everything to the clothes one wears can aggravate this skin disease can lead to other health complaints both mental as well as physical.

There are also cases of urticaria which come about after exposure to the sun. This type of urticaria is known as solar urticaria and can be remedied by abstinence to the sun or using various lotions that prevent the skin from burning. Extreme changes in temperature can trigger urticaria, therefore the weather can play a huge part in how uncomfortable a sufferer can get.