What can be done to relieve nettle rash?

This itchy rash, which can drive sufferers to distraction, may have a wide variety of causes including medication, viruses, or even an after-work beer. It's usually referred to as nettle rash. This week's health tip knows how to recognise the symptoms and what to do about them.
14.08.2025 | 2 minutes reading time
Author:
Content-Team SWICA
Itchy, irritated skin is often a sign of nettle rash (also known as urticaria). According to aha Swiss Allergy Centre, approximately one person in five suffers from nettle rash at some time in their life. It generally affects adults, with women being twice as likely to suffer from it as men.
Red skin, itchy spots: Medication, viruses or even beer can trigger nettle rash. Silke Schmitt Oggier, Medical Director at santé24, reveals more about nettle rash in the video (only in German).

Nutrition advice by phone by santé24

santé24's nutrition counselling service offers advice on matters such as nutrition for certain medical conditions or after surgery, advice on food intolerances and digestive system disorders. The nutrition counselling service makes recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet and provides support for weight loss and nutrition-related questions. The service is free of charge for SWICA customers. Find out more.

Symptoms

Doctors differentiate between two kinds of nettle rash, depending on how long the symptoms persist.

  • In the case of acute nettle rash, the swellings develop suddenly and generally disappear after a few hours or days.
  • In chronic nettle rash, the symptoms may persist for six weeks or more, but this period may include days or even weeks when there are no symptoms.

Causes

The commonest causes of acute nettle rash are bacterial and viral infections, adverse reactions to medication, and food allergies.

It is more difficult to pinpoint the causes of chronic nettle rash. External stimuli, such as major differences in temperature, in association with physical or mental stress are often responsible for the rash. Allergies are rarely the cause.

Treatment

Antihistamines, taken in the form of tablets or drops, are usually effective in treating acute nettle rash. Sufferers can also apply body lotion to the skin to keep it moisturised.

With chronic nettle rash, treatment tends to focus on relieving the itch since the cause is difficult to pin down. Antihistamines therefore form the basis of the therapy which generally lasts for a number of weeks or months.

Tips

  • If the nettle rash is due to a food allergy or intolerance, it makes good sense to change the diet. SWICA's experienced dietary assistants will be happy to help. SWICA provides generous contributions towards dietary analysis and advice. More information can be found here.
  • If the nettle rash is triggered by physical or mental stress, relaxation techniques (e.g. autogenic training) can be useful.

For SWICA customers: santé24 and Benecura

In the event of further health-related questions, SWICA customers can contact the santé24 online practice free of charge on +41 44 404 86 86. A telemedicine practice licence allows santé24 physicians to provide additional medical services in cases that are suited to a telemedicine approach.

SWICA customers can also use the Benecura medical app to carry out a digital SymptomCheck and receive recommendations about what to do next. During a subsequent phone call with santé24, customers can decide for themselves whether to release their information from SymptomCheck to santé24.

This article describes the services and conditions of SWICA as they were valid at the time of publication. Please note that such services and conditions may be adjusted by SWICA at any time or certain services may no longer be offered.
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