Austin Allergy Center

Diagnose Your Specific Allergies with Simple Skin Testing

Skin testing is the most dependable form of allergy testing.

A Painless and Effective Allergy Test

Skin testing for allergies is used to identify the substances that are causing your allergy symptoms. It is often performed by applying an extract of an allergen to your skin, scratching or pricking the skin to allow exposure and then evaluating the skin’s reaction. The procedure varies depending on what type of allergy skin test you are having.

This simple test will test you for the 76 most geographically specific allergens in your area. You will be tested for a number of possible allergens including pollens, grass, trees, pet hair and dander, insect droppings, dust mites…just to name a few.

If you’re having an allergy skin test, plan to spend about an hour for the entire appointment. For the scratch and intradermal skin tests, the allergen placement part of the test takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Then you will have to wait about 20 minutes to see how your skin reacts.

Inform the health care provider who is going to perform your allergy skin test about all the medicines your are taking, including over-the-counter drugs. Since allergy medicines, including over-the-counter antihistamines, stop allergic reactions, you should not take them for a few days before the test. Talk to your health care provider about discontinuing your allergy medicines prior to the test. You will be given a list of medicines to avoid before the test.