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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffThe most common side effect of skin testing is slightly swollen, red, itchy bumps (hives). Hives may be most noticeable during the test. They usually go away within a few hours, although they can persist for a day or two. A mild cortisone cream can be applied to relieve the itching and redness.
Rarely, allergy skin tests can produce a severe, immediate allergic reaction, so it's important to have skin tests performed at an office where appropriate emergency equipment and medications are available. If you develop a severe allergic reaction in the days after a skin test, call your doctor right away.
Some doctors who practice complementary or alternative medicine may perform provocation-neutralization tests, but these tests aren't proved and aren't considered reliable.
- Tips to remember: What is allergy testing? American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatisallergytesting.stm. Accessed Feb. 24, 2009.
- Allergy testing. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.acaai.org/public/background/testing.htm. Accessed Feb. 24, 2009.
- Demoly P, et al. In vivo methods for the study of allergy. In: Adkinson NF, et al. Middleton's Allergy: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008:1267.
