Skin Testing

The following tests are available at Allergy West in our office located at 133 Littleton Road, Westford, MA.

Allergy skin testing is the most convenient, cost effective and accurate way to identify the things that are triggering your nasal, ocular (eye) or respiratory allergy symptoms. Skin testing is less expensive and identifies more individuals with allergies than blood testing.

Food allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks a food protein. Ingestion of the offending food may trigger the sudden release of chemicals, including histamine, resulting in symptoms of an allergic reaction. The symptoms may be mild (rashes, hives, itching, swelling, etc.) or severe (trouble breathing, wheezing, loss of consciousness, etc.). For detecting the exact problem, you can do food allergy skin tests.

Reference: www.foodallergy.org

The purpose of penicillin skin testing is to identify people at risk of a severe allergic reaction to penicillin and to determine the safety of penicillin for those who have had allergic reactions.

Patch testing is a way of identifying whether a substance that comes in contact with the skin is causing inflammation of the skin.

Reference: allergies.about.com

Venom testing is performed using skin testing and the procedure is similar to testing for pollen or pet allergies. It may be necessary to use increasing concentrations of venom extracts to make the diagnosis. Allergists usually test for all stinging insects (bees, wasps, etc.) since studies have shown that people usually can’t identify which type of insect stung them.

Reference: allergies.about.com