A first allergy evaluation lasts approximately one hour.

It is very important that all antihistamines be discontinued before the visit.  Antihistamines interfere with testing.  Long acting antihistamines such as Allegra, Zyrtec, Claritin, Clarinex and Xyzal (and their generic equivalents) should be discontinued 48 hours prior to your visit.  Short acting antihistamines such as Benadryl, Hydroxyzine and Periactin should be discontinued 24 hours prior to your visit.  All other medications including topical antihistamines should be continued.

At Your Visit

You will have a consultation with Dr. Loewy.  Please be prepared to discuss your symptoms and concerns.  The patient will then be examined.  If testing is needed this generally will take place immediately. Testing involves small pieces of plastic with a serrated edge, dipped into an allergen, and pressed briefly against the skin. There are no needles, shots or pricks. There will be some itching but no pain. On very brittle or sensitive skin a small amount of bleeding is very rarely seen but in general the skin is not broken. Testing results are known after only 15 minutes and Dr. Loewy will then discuss results and make recommendations. The only exception to this process is antibiotic testing which is much more complex and requires a longer or separate visit.

Please bring to the visit any of your blood allergy testing results that have been done in the past no matter how distant. Skin tests are less important.