Patients must avoid anti-allergy medications (oral medications only) for at least 5-7 days prior to taking the test.

1. First, the nurse will mark areas on the skin of your arm or back and label them for the types of allergens that will be used in the skin test.
2. A drop of an allergen extract will then be applied next to each mark and a small lancet will be used to gently prick the extracts into the skin. In approximately 20 minutes, the results can be read.
3. The types of allergens chosen for use in the skin test are dependent on the medical history of each individual patient.

If the patient is allergic to a certain substance, a raised reddish spot (hives) will develop along with, possibly, some mild itchiness at the test location on the skin. The size of the localized redness will only be about 3 millimeters, and will usually disappear within a few hours.