Skin testing

So I am often asked by patients, "will the testing hurt"?....and "how long does it take"? Unlike when your mother or father may have been tested, current allergy skin testing does not hurt! There are no needles involved, just the use of tiny plastic prongs which place allergens on the skin eight at a time. When I test children, I use the back (so they can't scratch) and I use the arms on adults (so they can see the results). A positive (histamine) and negative (saline) control are used to ensure accurate results. It takes approximately 15 minutes for the allergic reactions to develop (usually a small hive at the site where the allergen was placed) at which time your results are read. Its that easy!

Allergy skin testing is used to determine sensitivity to environmental and food allergies. It can also be used to evaluate penicillin and venom allergy. For more information about allergy skin testing and what medications to avoid prior to testing, please visit my website: www.centurycityallergy.com

-MM

Introductory Blog

To be perfectly honest, I never thought I would be writing a blog. What do I have to share that's so important? Since starting up www.centurycityallergy.com though, I thought blogging might be a fun way to keep the site fresh and new. Problem was though, what to blog about? Should I be funny...my jokes are usually better in person. Should I let in you in what its like to be a young allergist....definitely not that fascinating. Should I give you the latest pollen counts....boring! So, after much thought, I think the best idea is to make this blog, like the website, informational. I hope to make the blog a version of "Ask the Allergist". Feel free to submit to me questions via the website on any allergy/asthma/immunology topic of your choice. I will do my best to give you the best, most current and literature -based answers. And when I don't know, I'll let you know and try to lead you in the right direction. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and learning a lot in the process. Enjoy.