Allergy

Allergy is an abnormal reaction of the immune system that can cause sneezing, wheezing, rashes, swelling, and on rare occasions can be life threatening.

The immune system is made up of cells in the blood that were designed to fight off all the bad things in life- bacteria, viruses, cancer cells and parasites. We would be vulnerable to these without a functioning immune system and would be unable to survive. When we have allergies, the reactions occur to things that should be harmless.

Allergies can cause a range of skin problems, including hives, lip swelling and dermatitis. Young children with eczema may suffer from food allergies which may make their eczema worse. Sometimes we can even develop allergies to the medicines we are prescribed to treat skin and other problems.

There are different types of allergy test, depending on the reaction pattern that is occurring. Dr Marsland is an experienced consultant dermatologist who is able to give expert advice on the type of allergy test needed, including blood tests, prick tests and patch tests.