Symptoms: Raised, red bumps on the skin's surface. Hives happen when you have an allergic reaction to food, the environment or something that touches your skin. Your body releases chemicals to fight the outside source, and itchy, stinging or burning welts result on your skin.
Treat it: Try an over-the-counter oral antihistamine like Benadryl or Claritin. As a rule, if hives last more than four days, see a doctor. If you experience shortness of breath in conjunction with an outbreak of hives, go immediately to an emergency room.
Prevent it: The best prevention is avoidance. Once you have an outbreak, take note of the elements that may have triggered the initial reaction, whether it's a new laundry detergent, a certain type of flower that's in bloom or the lobster you had for dinner.

Symptoms: Puffy, bloated patches of skin under your eyes. This baggage can be caused by crying, excess consumption of alcohol or salty foods (water retention) or an allergic reaction.
Treat it: Splash your eyes with clean, cool water to flush out dust, makeup or other microscopic irritants that may have migrated into your eye. Rest chilled, damp tea bags over your eyes for 10 minutes, but be sure the tea contains caffeine. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, which means it narrows blood vessels, and tightens the skin under the eye. Also, try the old-school favorite remedy of applying cucumber slices to cool and calm puffy eyes.
Prevent it: If salty snacks or alcohol are the culprit, cut out packaged, pre-fab foods and start tracking your sodium intake. Limit your intake to the recommended daily allowance of 2,400 mg of sodium per day. Drink lots of water to flush excess sodium and keep your body (and skin) hydrated.

Symptoms: Dry, cracked, flaking skin or raw, blistered, swollen skin between toes and/or around the sides and bottom of feet. These are signs of a skin infection caused by fungus or yeast. The condition worsens in warm, humid environments.
Treat it: Clean your feet with normal bar soap and dry thoroughly. Apply an anti-fungal powder, (such as Zeasorb-AF, $7.99) to further dry the sweaty area. Then, slather feet with an over-the-counter topical antifungal ointment, (like Tinactin Antifungal Cream, $11.99). For more severe athlete's foot, oral antifungal medications can be prescribed by your doctor.
Prevent it: Wear water shoes or flip-flops around pools, in locker rooms and in any other warm, wet public locale where bacteria lurk. Never wear sweaty socks for long periods of time, and clean and dry feet thoroughly after exercising.

Our experts:
· Dr. Kenneth Beer, dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon in Palm Beach, Fla.; author of "Palm Beach Perfect Skin"
· Dr. Jeanine B. Downie, dermatologist in Montclair, N.J.; author of "Beautiful Skin of Color"
· Dr. Kathryn Frew, dermatologist at Juva Skin and Laser Center in New York City, N.Y.