What an Allergy Skin Test Can (and Can't) Tell You

Allergic symptoms range from annoying to downright debilitating. Whether you get a slight scratchiness in your throat when you eat a certain food, or your allergic reaction is so strong that you can’t breathe through your nose, you probably want to know how to alleviate those symptoms.

Fortunately, modern medicine has uncovered a number of ways to soothe allergic reactions. The key, though, is applying the right treatment for a specific allergen: the thing causing your allergic reaction. That means finding out what, specifically, triggers your allergies. 

We can help. At both of our Allergy Asthma & Sinus Center offices in Hillsborough and Annandale, New Jersey, Edwin Schulhafer, MD, offers allergy testing. This lets you pinpoint what’s causing your allergic reaction. This way, we can help you find treatment to best control it and any resulting symptoms.

We offer multiple types of allergy testing. In most cases, though, Dr. Schulhafer recommends starting with a skin test. Let’s look at what that can — and can’t — tell you. 

What you can learn from an allergy skin test

During this kind of testing — also called a skin prick test — Dr. Schulhafer puts a small drop of a potential allergen on your skin. He then gently pricks the skin under the drop and you wait 15 minutes. If you develop an itchy bump in the area, it indicates that you’re most likely allergic to that substance.

As a result, allergy skin testing gives you an effective way to see if you have an allergy to:

• Dust
• Foods
• Insects (e.g., bee venom)
• Medicines (e.g., penicillin)
• Mold
• Pet danders
• Pollens

Dr. Schulhafer can also use allergy skin testing to see what’s causing your symptoms, whether that’s hay fever, a skin allergy like dermatitis (eczema), allergic asthma, or another uncomfortable allergic reaction. 

What a skin test can’t tell you

The skin prick test tells you if your body has an allergic reaction to that substance. It doesn’t, however, tell you how severe that reaction is. 

If you’re getting tested for a food allergy, for example, the size of the bump that your body develops doesn’t necessarily correlate to the severity of your reaction. 

Still, because it helps you identify your allergens, skin testing is a great start on the path toward managing your specific allergy or allergies. 

What to expect with an allergy skin test

The number of allergens Dr. Schulhafer tests you for depends on what kind of symptoms you’re experiencing, and the likely culprits. 

For each allergen, Dr. Schulhafer cleans the area, then applies the small amount of allergen. The skin prick under that allergen shouldn’t be overly uncomfortable. Most people describe it as a quick pinch. 

After 15 minutes, we can see how your body has responded. Dr. Schulhafer evaluates any bumps that develop to identify which allergens cause a reaction in your system. 

Regardless of how many allergens we apply, the entire process shouldn’t take more than an hour. And by the end of it, you should have a much clearer idea of what’s causing your allergy symptoms.

To schedule your allergy skin test, call the Allergy Asthma & Sinus Center office nearest you or book an appointment online today.