Heat and cold allergies / physical urticaria

My father has dealt with temperature sensitivity his entire life. It’s not that he’s just "always cold" or anything like that...
The issue is that whenever he hits a cold snap, his skin breaks out in these pale, reddish, raised bumps. It happens most frequently when he's at the beach—usually triggered by the cold water—or when there's a biting wind during the winter. After a short while, they just vanish as if they were never there. Back when he was younger, this was a massive source of insecurity for him, though nowadays he doesn't let it get to him quite as much.

I was wondering if anyone else here has dealt with something similar? What exactly is going on biologically, and is there any way to actually suppress or cure this...

Best,

lonenomad32

Based on what you wrote—and if you look at it through the lens of traditional Chinese medicine—it sounds like you’re dealing with some kind of damp cold attacking the spleen...

The culprit could be anything from overindulging in cold foods and drinks, like ice cream, beer, or watermelon.
In Chinese medicine, the spleen is basically held responsible for pretty much everything. Most issues stem from poor diet, or more specifically, eating things that just don't align with your body type.

A friend of mine is dealing with something pretty similar. During the winter months, she gets this intense itching all over her body, and she’s noticed that it really flares up whenever she walks from the cold outdoors into a super heated room.

She’s gone through every test under the sun, but they haven't been able to pin down what's causing it...

I know a woman who dealt with these exact same symptoms. Her doctors eventually diagnosed her with a cold allergy. It persisted for a while, but everything cleared up once she happened to cut Donat mg out of her diet. It might be worth having your dad try a similar approach—perhaps seeing if a specific food is actually heightening his sensitivity...

Could this be some kind of arteritis? I’ve only ever heard about those kinds of conditions in passing—never actually seen a case myself. Did he end up seeing a doctor to get it checked out?

Hey everyone, I’ve got a bit of a situation on my hands. A close friend of mine deals with this crazy cold allergy. Every single time there's a biting wind or if the temperature drops below freezing during those harsh winters, he goes through it. As soon as he steps back inside into a warm room,
these little red spots start breaking out all over his face and hands—basically everywhere that was exposed to the chill. Does anyone have any advice? Maybe some specific creams or gels that actually work? Or should he just accept this as his fate? Please let me know what you think...

I dealt with that exact same allergy issue myself, and once the weather finally warmed up, it cleared right up. I know how incredibly uncomfortable it can be, but honestly, if you can just hang in there for a little while, you'll get through it. Thankfully, it hasn't come back for me since.
My doctor didn't suggest any specific treatments either; she just advised me to wait it out.

silentnomad23 said:I dealt with that exact same allergy issue myself, and once the weather finally warmed up, it cleared right up. I know how incredibly uncomfortable it can be, but honestly, if you can just hang in there for a little while, you'll get through it. Thankfully, it hasn't come back for me since.
My doctor didn't suggest any specific treatments either; she just advised me to wait it out.

So, you didn't end up using any creams at all?
How did you manage when you were out in the wind and the cold? And how long does it usually take before the allergy starts acting up again?

Creams didn't do a thing for me. I actually found myself having to duck into an air-conditioned shop, a cafe, or just any cool room every 15 to 20 minutes because the heat would hit my face and hands, triggering those red blotches. As soon as I stepped back into the warmth, they'd flare up, and the moment I found some AC, everything would settle down immediately. Once the weather finally warmed up a bit more consistently, the allergy symptoms just completely cleared up on their own.

Hmm... based on what you’ve described, this might be more than just an allergy. It could be Raynaud's or even some kind of underlying condition... it would be wise to have a doctor look into it, if they haven't already...

Please don't, Ante—honestly, I've had more than enough of hospitals and doctors to last a lifetime😍
For me, this thing showed up just under a decade ago, and it's only happened once in my entire life. Now, I realize this could be a secondary condition or perhaps just a symptom... if I'm understanding correctly, Raynaud's phenomenon and the disease itself are tied to circulation and cardiovascular issues, right? Could you please clarify that a bit for me?

Raynaud's is essentially a functional disorder where the small arteries undergo spasms. It primarily affects the vessels in the extremities, such as the hands and feet... This manifests as skin color changes ranging from pale to bluish, and eventually to red... These episodes are typically triggered by exposure to cold or emotional stress. For most people, there aren't severe consequences, though in rare cases, the restricted blood flow—ischemia—can cause skin damage, leading to atrophy or even ulcers. It is important to distinguish between the condition itself and the phenomenon, which is often just a symptom of an underlying issue, frequently autoimmune in nature. The clinical presentation remains the same.

Think hot water—I take a shower and my face flares up red, only settling down after about thirty minutes. Whenever I’m near a heat source, the redness and itching on my face show up immediately.

With summer approaching, I have no idea how my skin is going to handle the sun.
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of allergy—where the skin reacts to heat, whether it's from a bath or even just standing too close to a hair straightener?
Should I go see a specialist—maybe an allergist at the Mayo Clinic?
How does the testing actually work?
Everyone knows about ragweed, peanuts, walnuts, or reacting to jewelry, but an allergy to heat itself seems incredibly strange.

Looks like we're all stuck in the same boat here... seriously, can someone please step up and help us out?

I'm dealing with the exact same thing...
Has anyone figured out what's actually going on here yet?
Cheers 🙂

To those concerned,

Based on what you've described, it’s possible you’re dealing with a form of physical urticaria.

Essentially, this is a group of allergic conditions where the skin reacts hypersensitively to specific physical triggers—things like cold, pressure, heat, or UV exposure from the sun. This category also includes Cholinergic Urticaria, which kicks in when your body temperature rises due to things like hot showers, sweating through exercise, or just getting too warm.

Heat urticaria is quite rare; it occurs specifically when the skin comes into contact with hot objects or warm air.

Diagnosis usually involves a heat challenge test. It’s straightforward: warm water (around 107°F) is applied to the skin on the inner forearm for 10 minutes, then the area is monitored for redness, swelling, or other reactions.

If Cholinergic Urticaria is suspected, the "challenge" might involve doing push-ups or running to induce sweating, followed by an observation of how the skin responds once the perspiration starts.

You should seek a consultation at an allergy clinic or see a dermatologist for a full workup. I'd suggest asking your primary care physician for a referral to a specialist.

Best regards to all. 🙂

Expert advice should always come first. Allergies are a serious deal and you really need to see a doctor. But don't forget that dry skin reacts to hot water just like an allergy would, even if you aren't actually allergic. Using random soaps and shampoos makes the dryness way worse, so I guess you gotta be careful when shopping. It also helps to shower with water that's as cool as possible. Makes sense, right? Think about how laundry gets baked and stiff if you leave it out in the summer sun too long. For years I was wondering why this happened to me after a shower—the redness, the dryness, even my skin cracking... until I finally realized this while digging through info on allergies. If maybe I am sensitive to hot water, well, I just stopped using it and now the problems are gone.

For the third time this year, my skin is breaking out in itchy red patches (and some faint little spots) across my stomach, ribs, back, hips, and arms—though not my hands.

Two of those three times happened during extreme cold snaps when I was spending more time outdoors (can't recall the third one). This most recent bout hit right when the temperature dropped, plus I spent way too much time soaking in a hot tub... so I’m wondering if this is some kind of heat-to-cold reaction? 🤷

I take an antihistamine and it clears up in about ten days, then I just slather on some aloe vera gel to kill the itch. I’ve always had allergies—dust, feathers, grass, weeds—but it usually hits my breathing (asthma) rather than my skin.

The redness moves around constantly; one day it's on my forearms, lower stomach, and back, then the next it's on my shoulders and upper arms... or it shifts from the right side of my back to the left. The itching comes in waves, peaking and then settling down.

Areas exposed to the cold seem fine. My skin is generally sensitive; for instance, my forehead gets red after washing my hair (it fades on its own within thirty minutes), and after a shower, I get red streaks on my back where I scrubbed a bit too hard, which also clear up quickly.

Exactly. I get those red patches and blisters right after an intense workout, which usually settle down after about 20 minutes. After playing around with different types of antihistamines, I realized they weren't doing a thing for me. Then it clicked: the blisters on my face aren't actually triggered by sweating. To fix it, I started taking L-carnitine thirty minutes before my workout and Aerus ten minutes before starting. Honestly, it worked like a charm—nothing happened. I sweat heavily just like usual, but everything stays clear. Hopefully, this helps someone else out.

Taylor Baker6 said:Exactly. I get those red patches and blisters right after an intense workout, which usually settle down after about 20 minutes. After playing around with different types of antihistamines, I realized they weren't doing a thing for me. Then it clicked: the blisters on my face aren't actually triggered by sweating. To fix it, I started taking L-carnitine thirty minutes before my workout and Aerus ten minutes before starting. Honestly, it worked like a charm—nothing happened. I sweat heavily just like usual, but everything stays clear. Hopefully, this helps someone else out.

L-carnitine (an amino acid) and Aerius (an antihistamine)? Was that just a random discovery or did someone suggest it? Do they only work when you take them together?

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