Allergy skin tests: Diagnosing your allergies

Pinpointing the cause of allergy signs and symptoms isn't always easy, as there can be a number of possibilities. For instance, if you find yourself sneezing every time you stay at your parents' house, it could be caused by the dander from their dog, a dusty guest room or maybe mold in the basement. And changes in your environment or new experiences may expose you to allergens that you didn't even know you were sensitive to.

An allergy test given by your doctor can help you narrow down what specific substances you're allergic to.

Allergy Relief

Some of the medications used to treat respiratory allergy symptoms include antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays and eyedrops. What do medications do? Allegra D Allegra Claritin-D Flonase Nasacort Nasacort AQ Nasonex Patanol Zyrtec

A blood test known as an in vitro allergen-specific IgE antibody test is one way to determine allergic sensitivities, but it's not as commonly used as the allergy skin test, which is more sensitive. Using a skin test to identify the exact cause of your allergies enables your doctor to help you better control them by developing an allergy management plan that's designed to meet your specific needs.

Purpose

Allergy testing on the skin is a simple procedure that can yield important information about your allergic sensitivities. Allergy skin tests are safe, involve little if any discomfort and can usually be done in 30 minutes or less.

The purpose of allergy skin testing is twofold:

* To help determine whether you have an allergy

* To identify the specific substance that's causing your symptoms

What happens in an allergy test? It's the same for kids and adults. Watch this video and find out. ...

A nurse usually administers the test, and a doctor who specializes in allergy problems and asthma (an allergist) typically interprets the results and determines which allergy treatment or treatments to use.

Preparation

Certain medications will interfere with an allergy skin test - primarily antihistamines. Many antidepressants, certain heartburn medications and some sleep medications also may interfere. You may need to eliminate these medications from your system before you have an allergy skin test. The amount of time it takes to rid them from your system varies. Ask your doctor about how and when to do this. Check with him or her several weeks in advance of the test and report all medications that you're taking.