Is Allergy Skin Testing Right For You?
If you have frequent or chronic sinus or ear infections, or if you’re plagued by allergy symptoms so often that they affect your lifestyle, you may be a candidate for allergy skin testing. Allergy symptoms may include sneezing, a runny nose, post nasal drip or itchy eyes. Because not every adverse reaction to an external agent is an allergy, our ear, nose, and throat doctors are uniquely qualified to determine the cause and the best course of treatment for your symptoms. A clinical diagnosis of allergy, based on thorough history and examination, must exist before the allergy test is done. The purpose of allergy skin tests is to confirm the presence of allergies and to select an allergen for avoidance or immunotherapy.
WHERE CAN I GET AN ALLERGY TEST?
Allergy Testing is performed at our Raleigh and Brier Creek locations. Allergy injections are given at all 6 of our locations (Raleigh, Brier Creek, Cary, Garner, Holly Springs, and Wake Forest).
Make an appointment to discuss allergy skin testing with a physician. Once you have been evaluated by the doctor, a referral for testing will be sent to the Allergy Department. A health care professional from the Allergy Department will contact you within a week and set up an appointment for testing.
Depending upon your specific allergy and the type of skin test order, the test may take up to two hours to complete. We also suggest that you eat a good meal prior to testing. If you believe you would like to have a topical anesthetic to help numb your upper arms for testing, please let us know before your appointment. We’ll also give you important information on environmental controls at the time of your testing.
ALLERGY TEST RESULTS
You’ll receive the test results as soon as you are finished. We will then schedule a follow-up appointment to determine whether or not you are a candidate for immunotherapy and discuss treatment options and recommendations.
For more information, please click on the link below to see our Allergy Testing Information and Consent Form:
Allergy Testing Information