What to Bring to Patch Testing: A Product and Ingredient Checklist

Start with the clinic's own request. Useful material can include your medicine list, previous patch-test results, product names and ingredient labels, and a short account of skin contact and rash timing. Ask whether it wants actual products, original packaging, photographs or workplace documents before packing anything.

The British Association of Dermatologists recommends bringing relevant personal products and packaging, with workplace safety information when applicable. It also says that not every product a patient brings will be tested. This guide helps adults organize information for an arranged appointment; it is not a universal list of substances to take to every clinic.

Clinical contact-allergy patch testing investigates delayed skin reactions to substances contacting the skin. The American Academy of Dermatology explains that it differs from skin-prick testing for immediate reactions. BAD notes that standard contact patch testing does not detect food allergies.

If your letter only says ‘allergy testing,’ ask the service what is planned. This checklist is for an arranged contact-dermatology assessment. Food investigations, drug-allergy assessments and home cosmetic spot tests have different purposes and instructions. A rash is not automatically an allergy, and this page does not decide which investigation you need.

Tell the clinic what kinds of products or materials are relevant and ask how it wants the information supplied. For each item, distinguish ‘bring the product,’ ‘bring the label or photograph,’ ‘send information first’ and ‘not yet confirmed.’ If collecting everything would be difficult, ask what to prioritize rather than assuming the appointment cannot proceed.

Check the arrangements for applying the patches and later readings, including where and when to attend. Clinic instructions can differ. University Hospitals Sussex provides a local preparation leaflet for its referred patients; its schedule and medicine instructions should not be borrowed for an appointment elsewhere. Ask your own service for the complete instructions and a contact for questions.

Copy the exact product name and version, not just the brand. If requested, photograph the front, ingredient list and other relevant label information clearly enough to read. Keep the original container or packaging where available. Mark an older product, missing label or uncertain formulation as uncertain rather than substituting a current internet list without explanation.

Record where each ingredient list came from and when you obtained it: your container, packaging, manufacturer information or a website. ESCD's 2026 guideline advises checking the validity of internet information about products. Do not assume that similar packaging or a shared brand means identical ingredients. The clinic can decide what further composition information it needs.

For each relevant item, note where and how it contacts your skin, approximate use dates, frequency and any recent change. Describe whether it is washed off, left on or handled during a task. Include home, work and hobby contact; gloves, adhesives, skin products and materials handled indirectly may be worth mentioning to the clinician.

Describe rash locations, itching, burning, soreness or other changes you noticed, with approximate timing and effects on sleep or ordinary activities. Include products used at the same time and symptoms that began earlier. Existing private photographs may help explain a changing rash if the clinic requests them. You do not need a photograph or visible redness to communicate symptoms.

If work exposure may be relevant, ask how to obtain the available product label, manufacturer details and safety data sheet, often called an SDS. BAD identifies workplace safety information as useful preparation. Record the exact product and task so the clinic can connect the document with what you actually handled.

A safety data sheet may not list every sensitizing ingredient. ESCD warns against testing entirely unknown substances. Do not transport dangerous or unlabeled chemicals, decant unknown mixtures, dilute products or apply them to your skin for this checklist. Ask the clinic how any sample it requests should be supplied, involving the workplace safety team where appropriate. Missing composition information is a question for the service.

List prescribed, topical and non-prescription medicines and bring earlier test records if available. Tell the clinic about recent treatment changes and the condition of the skin where testing is planned. Ask it to explain any preparation needed for your circumstances, including questions about creams, tablets, light exposure or pregnancy and breastfeeding where relevant.

Do not stop, taper, restart or change medicines using another clinic's leaflet or an online checklist. Record the responsible service's actual instructions and ask for clarification if they conflict with other treatment advice. The clinic should decide whether the planned procedure or date needs adjustment; a preparation worksheet does not make that decision.

Repeat the product fields for relevant items. Leave unknown details visible and keep personal records private. This is an original communication aid, not an official BAD or ESCD form, allergen score or instruction to test each product.

• Clinic/contact and appointment purpose confirmed: ___; actual requested materials and submission route: ___; question still unanswered: ___.
• Product identifier, exact name/version and manufacturer: ___; original container/packaging available: ___; uncertainty about the formulation: ___.
• Ingredient-list source and date: ___; label/document/photo filename: ___; missing or unreadable information: ___.
• Home/work/hobby task and skin contact: ___; body sites, frequency and approximate start/change dates: ___.
• Rash sites, symptoms and timing already observed: ___; simultaneous products or earlier symptoms: ___; existing photo or record, if requested: ___.
• Work-product label/SDS date and source, if relevant: ___; material or safety question requiring clinic agreement: ___.
• Clinic confirmed: product / packaging / photo / document / not requested / awaiting answer; what remains to obtain: ___.
• Medicine list and previous results available: ___; preparation advice, person/service and date: ___; reading appointments and concern contact: ___.

ESCD's 2026 guideline separates demonstrating contact allergy from deciding whether exposure explains the person's dermatitis. A positive patch-test result therefore needs a qualified clinician's relevance assessment. Ask whether a result relates to current symptoms, past exposure or remains uncertain, and what evidence supports the explanation.

AAD notes that an initial round of testing may not identify the cause. A negative result does not certify every product harmless or explain every possible skin problem. Ask for a written explanation of the findings, any individualized product or avoidance advice, and who will review unresolved symptoms. Keep all arranged readings and ask what to do if you cannot attend or develop a later concern.

Seek medical advice immediately if a rash is rapidly worsening, increasingly painful, discharging or accompanied by feeling unwell, hot, cold or shivery. NHS contact-dermatitis information identifies these as possible infection warning signs. Do not wait for the patch-test visit or for enough photographs to complete the record.

Sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue or throat, breathing or swallowing difficulty, or collapse or unresponsiveness needs local emergency help. An acute emergency cannot be assessed by waiting for delayed contact-allergy testing. Recording products and exposure must never delay appropriate care.