As part of the pediatric allergy care, Dr. Gillian Bassirpour at RyanRae Skin in Orange County, CA, identifies the allergens a child is reacting to, conducts allergy testing, and develops a comprehensive allergy treatment plan to ease their discomfort. Dr. Bassirpour makes house calls exclusively to conduct allergy testing, reducing the demands on stressed parents and kids who don’t feel well.
Forms of Allergy Testing
It is natural to want to change your child’s diet and environment to try and minimize whatever skin conditions they are experiencing, but before you make major shifts in lifestyle, pause. The best first move is to be seen by a specialist and have your child undergo allergy testing. This is the only way to get an accurate diagnosis and move forward with the proper and most effective treatment. You may discover that the condition you think your child has isn’t what they’re suffering with at all.
Here are some of the most common forms of allergy testing:
- Skin-prick testing: The most common form of allergy testing, skin-prick testing is used to identify specific foods that a patient may be allergic to. Drops of serums that contain allergens are put on the patient’s arm or back and a small needle is used to prick the skin so the serum can enter. From there, you must wait to see how or if the skin reacts, often by developing hives.
- Blood tests: If a patient cannot have a skin-prick test done, usually because of severe eczema, a blood test is the best option for diagnosis. The blood is examined for antibodies to specific food allergies, though this can be an imprecise test without skin allergy symptoms.
- Physical exam: A physical exam and detailed patient history are necessary to learn about the patient and narrow down what foods or environmental conditions may be triggering the skin problems.
- Component testing: This blood test looks at the proteins – components – of an allergen that are known to cause a reaction rather than looking at the allergen as a whole. Cross-reactions with pollens, for example, can throw off the typical blood test results and make a patient’s allergy seem worse than it is.
In most cases, multiple types of allergy testing are necessary to get a clear picture and make an accurate diagnosis for a child or patient of any age. The goal is not to make a child more uncomfortable during the process of allergy testing, but to be as targeted as possible so a determination can be made efficiently and the most effective treatment can begin right away.
Eczema: An Early Sign of Allergies in Children
Skin problems are one of the first signs of allergies in kids. Childhood skin conditions can be complex, and appropriate treatment is necessary to effectively address what’s happening presently and what complications could arise in the future. Through pediatric allergy testing and immunology, Dr. Bassirpour identifies allergies through a child’s skin map.
- Eczema is often the first allergic disorder of childhood and a sign of current or future allergic diseases.
- Eczema is linked to health problems like asthma, hay fever, and depression.
- Some moisturizers can be harmful in treating eczema and increase the chances of developing food allergies.
Get Allergy Testing for Kids in Orange County
Allergic disorders are a strain on every family. The burdens can be physical, emotional, and financial. Simplify what you’re going through by scheduling a home visit from Dr. Bassirpour. She serves families in Orange County, CA, tending to your child’s skincare needs in the comfort of your own home. Contact us today to make an appointment for allergy testing.
