Skin testing for allergies is one of the most reliable and popular finding out what substances are responsible for the symptoms of allergy. In skin testing for allergy there are basically three types of procedures:
Scratch, Prick or Puncture test: Marking is done on the skin after cleaning so that the testing of allergens can be done. Then the suspected or potential allergens are placed on each marking. These allergens may be insect venom, animal dander and pollen. Then the skin is slightly pricked so that the allergen can enter the epidermis. This test takes only 5 minutes time and you will come to know the result in 15 minutes time.
Intradermal test: Here, the allergen is injected beneath the patient’s skin. You can say that this test is somewhat like tuberculosis tests. Just like scratch test, this test is not time consuming.
Patch test: In this test the allergen is placed on the patch on the skin. And if the skin gets irritated or there is itching then the doctor will come to know that the person is allergic to the allergen. In this test you need 48 hours to find out the results. During this time exposure to water should be avoided.
It is vital that the doctor should give all the details and instructions to the patient so that he will know which medications must be avoided prior to the allergy test. |
