You are not alone
If you just got patch test results, you may feel overwhelmed by codes, Latin names, and plus signs. This page is a practical next step: how to turn that paper into everyday decisions. It is not a substitute for your dermatologist’s interpretation.
AllerNote is an educational tool. It does not diagnose allergies. Always follow your clinician’s advice.
What your results usually show
Most reports list allergens (often with both a common name and a chemical name) and a reaction grade for each:
| Grade | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| + | Weak positive |
| ++ | Strong positive |
| +++ | Very strong positive |
Your clinic may use slightly different wording. If something is unclear, ask your dermatologist or nurse before you change products.
Step 1: Understand the plus system
Focus on what you reacted to, not every line on the form. Your team will tell you which positives matter most for cosmetics vs occupational exposures.
Step 2: Learn the ingredient names that matter for shopping
Patch tests use clinical names (e.g. “fragrance mix II”, “nickel sulfate”). Product labels use INCI names and synonyms (“Parfum”, “Nickel salts”). That mismatch is why shopping feels hard — you are translating between two vocabularies.
Step 3: Enter your positives into AllerNote
Create a free account and add each positive allergen to My Allergies. You can search by common name; we map many synonyms used on labels. If something is missing, add it as a custom allergen — we still flag it on scans.
Optional: Use Import from patch test (photo of your result sheet or paste text) to speed this up — always review suggestions before saving.
Step 4: Scan products before you buy
Use Scan with a photo of the ingredient list or paste the INCI text. You get Safe, Warning, or Avoid based on your profile — not a generic “clean” score.
Step 5: Build a routine over time
Start with one category (e.g. moisturizer or sunscreen). Save products that pass as safe in the app. Add reactions in the tracker if something flares — that history helps you and your clinician.
Go deeper
For a full walkthrough — shopping strategies, how CARD-style thinking fits in, and tips for hair dye and occupational allergens — read our After Your Patch Test: A Complete Shopping Guide.
