EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. (WEAU) -- Something as seemingly simple as playing outside in the snow is a big no no for someone suffering from cold induced urticaria or being allergic to the cold.

Doctors say the allergy shows itself in the form of hives that appear after a relatively short time of being exposed to cold temperatures.

A walk outside in the winter became a lot more complicated for Cheryl Theide once she realized what was causing this,” I would have these incidents of my face being really red, almost purple, very hot and inflamed,” she explains.

And that hives reaction would last all day long, until Theide was finally diagnosed with cold induced urticaria by her dermatologist.

“The best thing I can do is limit my exposure to the cold, I typically don't participate in winter activities, but when I do have to be out I keep my face and body covered as well as I can,” she tells us.

At her house Theide shows us how she bundles up so only her eyes are showing when she goes outside.

Dr. Adela Taylor at Mayo Clinic Health System says reactions to cold allergies can vary widely from person to person.

“Different people react at different temperatures, for some people they might react just below 50 degrees other people it may be closer to freezing,” Dr. Taylor explains.

But she says while some people only get hives on small parts of their bodies, and it can be controlled with antihistamines; it's not an allergy to take lightly.

“People have died from cold induced urticaria; usually that reaction happens with swimming. Someone will jump into a cold river, stream, lake and then they develop total body hives and they go into anaphylactic shock,” she describes.

Dr. Taylor says if you have any symptoms of cold allergy you should see an allergist right away so that you can be equipped with an epipen, just in case you ever have a bad reaction to the cold