You have changed laundry soap, tried new lotions and stopped wearing that necklace, and the rash still comes back. When the itchy, red patches keep returning, the cause may be an allergy to something you touch every day. Allergy patch testing in Springville, UT can help pinpoint it.
Patch testing looks for allergic contact dermatitis — a delayed skin allergy to things like metals, fragrances, preservatives, hair dye or rubber. Once you know the trigger, you can avoid it, and the rash often clears.
When You Need Patch Testing
Patch testing can help when a rash keeps coming back in the same places — the eyelids, face, hands, neck, under a watch or waistband — or when eczema is not responding to treatment the way it should. People who work with chemicals, hair products, cleaning products or gloves are often good candidates.
Common culprits include nickel in jewelry and belt buckles, fragrance, preservatives in shampoos and cosmetics, hair dye, adhesives and rubber accelerators in gloves. These reactions can take a day or two to appear, which is why the cause is so hard to spot on your own.
Our Patch Testing Process
Patch testing takes a few visits during one week. On the first visit, small amounts of common allergens are placed on patches and taped to your back. You keep the patches on and dry for about two days.
On the second visit, the patches are removed and your skin is checked for reactions. A final reading four to seven days after the patches went on catches reactions that develop slowly. Your provider then explains what you reacted to, where those ingredients hide, and how to read product labels to avoid them.
Before testing, you may need to pause certain medicines and avoid sun on your back. We will give you clear instructions when you book.
After your results, you get a list of the substances to avoid and the other names they appear under on ingredient labels. Rashes often begin to improve within a few weeks of avoiding the trigger. If your rash turns out not to be an allergy, that is useful too — it points your provider toward eczema, psoriasis or another cause and the treatment that fits it.
Patch Testing Cost in Springville
Patch testing is a medical test and is usually billed to health insurance. Your cost depends on your plan and how many allergens are tested. Our front desk can help you check your coverage before you schedule the series of visits.
Why Choose Us
Your patch testing care is led by a practice whose founder, Dr. Michael Peterson, is board-certified in dermatology and dermatopathology. Our physician assistants and nurse practitioner practice dermatology full time, so they see conditions like yours every week. We offer same-day appointments at our Springville office, telehealth follow-ups from your phone, and offices in Provo, Tooele and St. George. Daily Herald readers voted us first in the Best of Utah Valley from 2019 through 2023.
Patch testing is one of the tools our medical dermatology providers in Springville use to diagnose stubborn rashes.