What Happens During Allergy Testing?

If you’re one of the 50 million people with allergies and struggle to manage your symptoms, it may be time to consider allergy testing. Finding out what’s triggering your persistent sneezing, skin rashes, and other allergy symptoms plays a key role in better controlling your allergies.

At Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic, the experienced team of physicians offer a variety of allergy tests in-office to identify your allergy triggers. They also provide comprehensive allergy treatments to improve your quality of life.

When to consider allergy testing

Allergy triggers can be found everywhere — in your environment, in the clothes you wear, and even in the foods you eat. When you make contact with an allergen, your immune system produces histamine in its own defense.

This release of histamine can cause a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, including:

• Sneezing
• Stuffy nose
• Runny nose
• Watery, itchy eyes
• Skin rash or hives

Food allergies can cause digestive upset, bloating, and abdominal pain.

Determining what your triggers are when you have allergy symptoms can help our team figure out how to best treat your condition. We recommend scheduling allergy testing at Primary Care Walk-In Clinic if you experience any of these symptoms and are no longer getting relief from over-the-counter allergy medications.

You should also get allergy testing if you have anaphylaxis, a severe type of allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis describes sudden inflammation in your airways that make it difficult for you to catch your breath. Without treatment, this reaction can lead to serious long-term health issues and premature death.

What to expect during allergy tests

Primary Care Walk-In Clinic offers two types of allergy tests in-office. You may need one or both types of tests depending on your symptoms and your overall health. Available tests include:

Blood tests

Blood tests can measure antibodies your body produces when you make contact with an allergen. This test involves drawing a sample of your blood, which the providers send to a medical lab for processing to identify potential allergy triggers.

Skin tests

Skin tests involve applying known allergens directly to your skin. The physicians will place droplets of an allergen solution in an organized pattern on your arm or back. They gently scratch your skin, so you absorb the solution.

If you develop a red spot or bump in the area of the droplet, it’s an indication the substance is an allergy trigger.

The medical team carefully monitors your health throughout skin allergy tests. In the event you have a serious allergic reaction, such as anaphylaxis, they are able to treat you immediately.

Getting your allergy test results

It can take up to two weeks to get the results of your blood work. The results of your skin test are immediately available.

Once you have your results, the team at Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic can discuss your options for allergy treatments. They offer personalized care plans that reduce your existing symptoms and prevent new ones.

You can also learn strategies for reducing your exposure to known allergies, such as closing your windows on days when pollen counts are high and using high-quality filters in your home to catch more dust. If you have food allergies, the physicians can work with you on a diet plan that limits allergy-causing ingredients.

To find out what’s triggering your allergies, call the Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic nearest you today or book an appointment online. You can also visit the clinic as a walk-in during business hours.