If you believe that you might have an allergy but are not sure of what you are allergic too, your doctor can prescribe allergy tests to determine exactly what you are allergic to. There are several types of allergy tests that are used to determine a variety of allergens.
There are some tests that work better than other tests of course depending on what type of allergy you have. It is often recommended that you take several different tests with various allergens.
There are a few basic tests that every doctor uses to determine a specific allergy. The first one is a scratch test, which consists of placing a very small amount of the allergen in question onto your skin. A scratch is then administered which allows the substance to go deep into the skin. The area is closely monitored for any allergic reaction. Usually most allergic reactions occur within twenty minutes after the scratch is administered. Another advantage to this type of allergy test is that several different allergens can be tested at the same time. This is very useful if the allergens are unknown, food, or airborne allergens.
Another common allergy test is the elimination diet. Many foods are potential allergens however when eliminated from your diet for several weeks can determine what foods you are allergic to. |
