Allergy Skin Tests

Allergy Skin Tests

With hay fever, the most common thing you are told is to avoid your triggers. But what if you don’t know what the triggers, how are you supposed to avoid them? How do you find out what they are?

Allergy skin tests are designed to help expose whether or not a suspected allergen is actually what is causing the allergic reaction. To gather information on what could be a possible suspected allergen is through the medical history.  During the medical history some questions that may be asked include: How long have you had the allergy? Where do you live? How long do the symptoms last for? Where do you work or what are some environmental exposures?

After gathering the information, the suspected allergen will then be introduced in one of three ways- a skin prick test, skin injection test, and patch test.

            Skin Prick Test- is done with a lancet injected different allergens. The results usually come in about 15 minutes. It can be done with as many as 40 different substances to see if the allergies are from pollen, mold, pet dander, dust and even food allergies. If a skin prick test is positive, there will be a skin response This could be a raised, red itchy lump- somewhat like a mosquito bite.

            Skin Injection Test- a test that, like the skin prick, injects a small amount of allergen extract into your skin. The difference is that instead of a lancet, it is used with a needle to be a little deeper as an intradermal test. In about 15 minutes, there will be signs of an allergic reaction- this test isn’t very common for hay fever like the skin prick test, but more for allergies to venoms or specific medications.

            Patch Test- tests to see if there is an allergic reaction by not injecting an allergen, but instead applying it to a patch, which will be placed on the skin. Like the injection test, this isn’t very common for hay fever, but more for contact dermatitis, such as latex or preservative allergies. The patch will be worn for 2 and irritation will indicated a positive test.  

All of these tests are used in order to pinpoint what your allergies are in order to avoid them. This means may not be necessary for everyone, but more for those who really need to know, are more susceptible, and have very severe allergies. Talk to your doctor about if this interests you to see when/how you can receive this testing. 

Prevention

Are taking medications not working or just not your thing? What else can you do if the symptoms of hay fever still haunt you? 

For those who are the seasonal allergy sufferers have it easier in the sense that symptoms only last a couple weeks or months. However, prevention of these seasonal sniffles is much harder to avoid, or fix. 

Because seasonal allergies primary cause is pollens the key concept is to stay indoors. It is advised to keep all windows and doors closed and use the air conditioner to stay cool. This also applies for while driving as well; but make sure that the car is in the “recirculation” mode. It’s also important that the air conditioner has a good air filter, which is to be washed weekly during high pollen season. Another thing to keep in mind is to keep in mind is to not have plants indoors.

As for the year round hay fever sufferers, prevention gets a little more difficult. Also, there are a lot more possible sources/causes of the allergens. The most common, which I will focus on are dust, dust mites, pet dander, and mold. For household dust, it’s beneficial to not have carpet and instead have a smooth surface, such as hardwood flooring. This allows dust to settle on top and be cleaned much more effectively and easily. If you are unable to get rid of carpet use a mask while vacuuming. Also limit surfaces, and furniture, for dust to settle on. Clothing could be a big issue when it comes to dust because it’s fabric, has a lot of surface area, and is normally stored in the bedroom. It is advised that clothing be kept out of the bedroom and/or in airtight vinyl clothing bags. Some other small changes that could be made are to use blinds instead of drapes, to keep the air conditioning vent closed in the bedroom, and to make sure there is a clean filter on the air conditioning unit. As for dust mites, these changes also apply in addition with some new ones. It’s key to wash bedding weekly in hot water (at least 130 F). It’s also important to not sleep/lie down on upholstered furniture and to keep the home cool and dry. As for pet dander, the most effective solution would be to remove the pets from the home. This could be keeping them outside or the better solution (in the mindset of relieving hay fever symptoms) is to get rid of the pets altogether. However this is easier said then done, so the next best thing is to make sure to get the home cleaned thoroughly and often, keep the pet out of the bedroom, and make sure that it gets groomed elsewhere regularly.

Mold is perhaps the most potentially dangerous out of the year round hay fever causes.  The three D’s: dampness, darkness and drafts are key to the growth of mold. Therefore the best way to avoid mold is to avoid those three things; however it may be too late and the growth as already begun. Make sure rooms have good ventilation by opening doors and windows. Put lights in dark places, like small closets and the basement. Also avoid places of high humidity. This can include green houses, barns, laundry rooms etc. Because mold can be potentially dangerous to ones healthy it is very important to get the mold checked out by a professional. They may be able to help remove the mold (or at least part of it) regardless of the danger as well.

So overall, what’s the best way to prevent the symptoms of hay fever without medications (or in addition to)? AVOIDANCE. Avoid as much as you can and you will start to feel better.