What You Put in Your Body Affects Your Health Greatly

When it comes to allergy testing, the first method considered is typically skin testing for allergen response. This process involves introducing specific allergens to skin tissue and monitoring for any type of inflammation response. It's important to understand the basics of these allergy tests to help you decide if it's the right choice for your situation. There are a number of things that you should consider when you're deciding whether or not it's time for skin testing for allergies.

Skin Testing Isn't Painful

Many times, people hesitate to seek the allergy testing that they need because they fear the skin test. If you are worried about the pain associated with repeated skin pricks, you can rest easy knowing that this testing is not painful. 

The needle used to introduce the allergen is so small that it is not noticeably painful. In addition, the amount of each allergen that's used is minimal, so you should not experience any extreme reactions. Some itching or discomfort may result, but it should not be significant.

Skin Testing Identifies Many Allergens

When you're looking for full-spectrum testing, skin testing is a great choice for allergen identification. You can receive testing for a wide range of allergens this way, including things such as mold, pollens, and all sorts of food products. Skin testing can even identify chemical allergens, such as those used in cosmetics, perfumes, and cleaners.

Skin Testing Comes In Many Forms

If you're ready to pursue skin testing for your allergen identification, the next thing that you should think about is which type of skin testing you want. 

Skin prick testing is done in the doctor's office using small needles to introduce allergens just beneath the skin's surface. This is the most common method of skin testing for allergens. Injection testing involves introducing larger amounts of specific allergens by injecting them underneath the skin. The injection area is monitored for any signs of a reaction. Transdermal patch testing involves the direct application of a patch with an allergen on the patch. This is the method used for many allergens that are introduced via skin contact.

These are just a few of the many different things you should understand about allergen testing. If you need to narrow down the details of any allergy exposure, talk with your doctor about your allergy testing options to determine the source of the problem. For more information, reach out to allergy testing services near you.