red splotchy, itchy, swollen skin

My husband has this non-raised red rash that feels hot to the touch on his arms and hands this morning. They appear to be swollen and he said his skin is tight. He also says that it itches really bad. He had this same thing on his neck and torso 4 days ago, the next day it was not as apparent on his torso but had moved on to his ankles, and then he went 2 days with hardly nothing, and now it is on his arms and hands and not really anywhere else...can anyone shed some light on what this might be? I have given him benadryl and rubbed him down with anti-itch cream. Please advise. Thanks!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The symptoms can be due to hives. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.
The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamine which may be necessary for prolonged periods. You can give non-sedating antihistamines such as Cetirizine. Sedating antihistamines such as Benadryl is used at night to get urticaria control. Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms but they are available under prescription.
You may take Vitamin C along with the prescribed treatment. Vitamin C is a general anti-allergy supplement. It helps stabilize mast cells so they are less likely to release histamine.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.