Testing for allergies requires a specific skin allergy test in order to determine what substances a person is allergic to. This testing allows for directed treatment and management of allergies with several different interventions. Instead of simply providing general treatment that can have lots of side effects, skin allergy testing allows for tailored therapy that with minimal side effects that can greatly improve a person’s quality of life. This is ideal for people who not want to be burdened with excessive side effects or have treatment that is completely inadequate.
Skin testing for allergy is quite an involved procedure that should be performed by a trained clinician with knowledge of the procedure. The testing should be explained to the patient in a clear manner since it is a very involving process with some risks. In order to perform the test, a person should not be taking any allergy medication for several days so that the responses to the allergens are appropriate. Allergy medicine can suppress the response to the testing and give inadequate results, so be sure to discuss which medicines are appropriate before starting the testing.

Skin Testing Information

Skin allergy testing require a series of small injections of allergic material into the skin. Most of the time the injections are made with a small needle in a specific pattern. This pattern is used so that the person who performs the testing will know what substance caused the reaction. Most testing sites uses a grid to demarcate the injection locations. The grid can be placed on a person’s arm or on their back. The allergic material is placed into the dermis of the skin, which is an area that has an active component of the immune system. If a person is allergic, the immune system will recognize the allergen and respond. Certain cells called mast cells will recognize the compound and produce histamine, an allergic mediator. This response tells the tester that the person may have a problem with that specific compound.

In addition to the allergic compounds, skin testing for allergy also requires control injections. These injections involve agents that either everyone would respond to or no one will respond to. Everyone should have a reaction to histamine. Histamine is part of the allergic process and is produced when a person responds to a certain allergy. Even non-allergic people should have itchy skin and redness due to histamine. On the other hand, no one should have a response to salt water or simple oils. If a person reacts to a basic material, they might have a more serious problem than simple allergy to compounds in the environment.
Once the testing is complete, the patient and provider should know what materials the person is allergic to. Then the person can be de-sensitized to these allergic compounds, preventing future reactions. By having a skin allergy test, the treatment can be very specific and improve a person’s quality of life without excessive side effects.