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How do doctors test for allergies?

Testing for allergies is not always a fun feat, but it can mean the difference between suffering through allergy season, and being able to go about life as normal. Some people are able to get through their allergies by occasionally taking an over the counter medication or just avoiding the allergens causing their problems all together. For others however, simply avoiding some of the things that can cause flare ups simply aren’t enough. For those who’re seeking help with their allergies, to better understand and manage them they have the option of going to an allergy doctor. There the doctor is able to perform an allergy test to discover what things are causing your allergies to be set off and work on fixing them.

How do doctors test for allergies?
There are two different tests that a doctor can conduct to determine what you’re allergic to and learn to better help you. The first and by far the most common is a skin test. When it comes to a skin test, the doctor will typically introduce a type of allergen to the skin by scratching the surface or injecting it just beneath the skin. In usually about fifteen minutes or so, if the skin reacts a doctor will be able to verify what types of things you’re allergic to. The second type of test is one in which they take a sample of your blood.

Unfortunately, some people aren’t able to do a skin test and for this reason, an allergy doctor may be required to perform a blood test. In this instance, they’ll take a sample of blood and send it off for testing. Unlike the skin test, this one will take much longer to get the results back from which means you’ll be stuck trying to figure out what you may or may not be allergic to in the meantime. There are a few other types of tests that aren’t typically used as often, but some doctors still do practice these methods.

One such test is much like the skin test , however instead of scratching the skin, a patch is contaminated with a specific type of allergen and then applied to the patient’s skin. Much like the skin test, in this case if the skin has a reaction to the patch test then you’ll be able to better identify the allergens you’re struggling with and potential ones you may not have known about. The patch test requires two doctor’s visits as you’ll be required to wear the patch for forty-eight hours and then return for observation of the test site.

In the event of going for a skin testing or an allergen testing of any kind you want to be sure to discuss any medications you might be on with your doctor. Of course you’ll want to make sure you stop taking any allergy medications prior to testing as well as they’ll prevent accurate test results from developing when you go for testing.

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