What Happens During Allergy Skin Testing? - Nemours Children's Health System

People can be allergic to many different things, like foods, pollen, mold, dust, or pets.
If there’s something you might be allergic to, you can have an allergy skin test to help find out.
For a allergy skin test to work well, you need to be off most allergy medicines for a week.

So what happens during a skin test?
First, the nurse cleans the skin where the test is going to be done. This is often on the back or the arm.

Then you’ll get numbers on your skin so it is clear where each thing being tested will go.

Then you’ll get little pricks or scratches at each of these spots. This puts a little bit of what is being tested into the top layer of your skin.

Next you wait for about 15 minutes. This can be hard, because your skin might get really itchy!

But it’s important not to touch the area of the test. It can help to gently fan it with a piece of paper. And a book or game can help keep your mind off the itching.

The doctor or nurse will look to see where you get any red bumps on your skin, and how big they are. This can help show what you are allergic to.

When the test is done, the nurse will help you clean off your skin. The itching and bumps will go away soon.

Visit https://www.nemours.org/services/alle... to learn more.