Blog

If allergies are suspected in your case, it’s likely you have experienced some skin-related discomfort. Allergies and related conditions frequently have a skin component. Urticaria (hives) has a reported worldwide occurrence of more than 20 percent, and in 2012, it was estimated that 12 percent of almost 9 million kids with allergies had experienced allergic skin reactions in the previous year. Diagnoses and management of these troublesome symptoms comes down to the skin. These skin-related diagnostic tools include patch testing. The skin connection As the largest organ of the body, the skin often tells a lot about what’s going on … Continue Reading

Patients who are struggling with contact dermatitis issues may be unaware of what is causing their allergic reactions. When hives and itching become a regular issue for patients, it may be due to an allergen they are encountering every day. This may be a specific medication, preservative, dye, metal, or other material that may be problematic. Dr. Noga Askenazi and the staff of Advanced Allergy & Asthma Associates and Food Allergy Center of Illinois may discuss with patients the benefits of undergoing allergy patch testing. Elgin area patients who are interested in finding the reason for their contact dermatitis are … Continue Reading

You may be a candidate for patch testing if contact dermatitis is suspected. What are some signs of contact dermatitis? You may have this condition if: You have red bumps, rashes. These irritated areas become scaly. In severe cases, blisters may form, burst, and crust over. Itching to the affected area may also be severe. As with other types of allergies, your body may over-react to a substance. When it responds to the perceived harmful substance, it sets off a reaction, which includes the release of chemicals responsible for your symptoms. Contact dermatitis may be non-allergic. In fact, the most … Continue Reading

A skin test may have turned up false positive. You still suspect other allergies, despite a blood test. Inflammation may be so serious it prevents you from having a skin test, which may further irritate your flesh. For these and other reasons, we may want to conduct a patch test. Generally, patch testing involves applying a tiny amount of the suspected culprit substance to your skin — via a waterproof, medical-grade adhesive. We will then check how your skin reacts to this small amount of potential allergen at intervals, usually 48 hours, 72 hours, and in some cases, additional testing … Continue Reading

It’s easy to see why contact dermatitis is assumed to be a type of allergy. As with allergic reactions, this condition is triggered by exposure to certain substances. This type of skin inflammation is also characterized with red rashes, raised bumps, severe itching (sometimes), cracking and scales, blisters, swelling, and a burning sensation — symptoms often shared by those with allergies to mites, pollen, and mold, and those allergic to some foods, insects and drugs. Only 20 percent of contact dermatitis cases are considered “allergic.” You may have this type of contact dermatitis should your skin become itchy, red, scaly, … Continue Reading

A skin test is fast and simple. As such, it’s a very common way to zero in on the cause of your allergic symptoms. With such testing, your skin is pricked to allow exposure to a small amount of the suspect allergen. Redness and swelling during the test may be an indication that the suspect substance is at fault. This may be the only test we need to identify your allergen, getting you on the road to symptom-free with a custom course of treatment. However, you may not be a candidate for the skin test, or it may be a … Continue Reading

Patch testing is a way for doctors to determine the potential causes of contact dermatitis, which is an immunological response to specific substances. Patch testing is particularly useful as it may identify allergens that were not detected during other tests such as skin prick, or blood tests. Contact dermatitis is not an actual allergy, and therefore there are no allergic antibodies. Instead, contact dermatitis reactions are caused by white blood cells. Prior to testing, the doctor will complete an evaluation, which will include questions about your rash. It is important to share when and where the rashes occur on the … Continue Reading

For patients who have a food allergy, their body has an adverse reaction to proteins that are in a particular food. This allergy can be triggered by even the tiniest amount of the food and it can show up within a matter of minutes, or up to several hours after the initial exposure. Many food allergies originate during the early childhood years; however, they can develop as an adult and can even come up in foods that were never a problem previously. Some childhood food allergies are outgrown by the time the child reaches adulthood. Common food allergies include: PeanutsTree … Continue Reading

A patch test is something that we perform in our office to help diagnose contact dermatitis, or an allergic inflammation of the skin. The test involves the use of trace amounts of different chemicals known to cause contact dermatitis placed on the patient’s back. The purpose of a patch test is to find out which chemical produces a reaction. Patients who have contact dermatitis will have a reaction on the skin when they are in contact with a particular allergen. For many patients, this reaction can be painful, itchy, and may even crack or bleed. Some of the most common … Continue Reading

For patients suffering from allergies, patch testing is a way for doctors to determine which particular substances are causing symptoms. During a patch test, your skin will be exposed to small levels of known allergy causing substances (allergens). These areas will then be looked at for signs of reaction. By finding the cause of your allergic reaction, our team is able to come up with a treatment plan to help you manage, reduce, or eliminate symptoms. Skin patch testing can be done for a variety of allergic conditions, including: Dermatitis (rashes)Food allergiesDrug allergiesLatex allergies During your initial appointment, our team … Continue Reading