These Tests
Identify The Causes Of Your Allergy Symptoms
If you have problems with allergies, the triggers for your
symptoms may be obvious. If you get watery eyes and a scratchy
throat every time you're around a cat, you can be fairly certain
you're allergic to cats. If you have frequent allergy symptoms and
can't seem to figure out why, your doctor may recommend you undergo
allergy testing. These are two common forms of testing you may have
done.
Skin Prick Test
A skin prick test gives quick results. You can find out if
the test is positive before you leave the doctor's office. To do
this test, a nurse applies several allergens to your skin with a
lancet. The lancet, or needle, just scrapes the surface of your
skin, so it isn't painful and it doesn't draw
blood. It only
takes a tiny scratch to test an allergen and several can be tested
in a single office visit.
After the nurse administers the test, you'll wait in the
office for results to develop. If you are allergic to a substance,
your skin will develop a red welt. The size of the welt indicates
the severity of your allergy. This test is a quick and easy way to
identify a
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This test takes
longer since you need to wear the patch for a couple of days so it
has prolonged contact with your skin. This test helps the doctor
identify allergy triggers for things you might come into contact
with such as latex, hair dye, metals, and fragrances. You'll wear
the patch for a couple of days and then return to your doctor's
office to have it removed. Just like the skin prick test, if you
are allergic to a particular substance on the patch test, there
will be a red swollen area of skin where the allergen was applied.
Skin prick and patch testing are convenient and effective ways to
test for allergies, but if you have a skin condition or take
certain medications, your doctor may not get accurate results. In
that case, you may have blood work drawn and analyzed
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