When you suspect that you’re dealing with allergies, it’s essential to find the substance (or substances) that you’re allergic to (allergens) to avoid health complications, including anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
An effective way to diagnose allergies is through skin testing, otherwise known as a skin prick test. During this diagnostic process, your skin is pricked with potential allergens. If you’re allergic to a substance, a reddish bump appears.
At Clover Internal Medicine Associates in Fort Worth, Texas, our team, led by Elaine Phuah, DO, MBA, FACOI, and Leon Tio, DO, MA, FACOI, offers skin allergy testing as part of our comprehensive allergy services.
This month’s blog explores what you need to know about this particular type of allergy testing and how it benefits your treatment plan.
When allergens enter the body, the immune system responds by producing antibodies to combat the substances it identifies as harmful. When proteins in the allergen bind with the antibodies, a series of chemicals is released, triggering allergy symptoms, such as:
When you undergo skin allergy testing, we introduce a tiny amount of an allergen just under the skin. If you’re allergic to the substance, your immune system triggers a response, leading to visible symptoms that confirm an allergy.
Skin testing can diagnose a wide range of allergies and allergy-related conditions, including food allergies, insect venom allergies, penicillin allergies, hay fever (rhinitis), and dermatitis (eczema).
Before our team performs the actual test, we sit down with you to discuss your symptoms and what you think is triggering them. This allows us to narrow the list of allergens to try during your skin allergy test.
During the test, we may test up to 50 different substances. The number we try depends on your individual symptoms.
We first dip the applicator into an allergen and then gently prick your skin with it. This introduces a very small amount of the allergen into the area, which helps avoid a severe reaction.
Typically, skin testing is performed on your back or upper arm. It takes approximately 15 minutes for your skin to show a reaction after exposure to the potential allergen.
To interpret your results, our team identifies substances that caused red bumps on your skin and provides you with a list of these suspected allergens. The larger and more severe the bumps, the more sensitive you are to that allergen.
Since skin testing provides quick results, you can leave our office with tangible and practical information about your allergies. Our team can create a tailored allergy treatment plan that helps you avoid your allergens and reduces the severity of your reactions.
We’re here to help shed light on your allergies. Schedule an allergy evaluation, which may include skin testing, by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.
