How many days does it take for a food allergy to heal?

There is no unified standard answer - most mild allergies manifest only as local symptoms on the skin, and will completely subside within a few hours to 3 days after removing the allergen.； Moderate allergies with obvious respiratory and digestive tract reactions can recover in 1 to 2 weeks after standardized intervention. ； If serious complications such as laryngeal edema, allergic purpura, liver and kidney damage, etc. are induced, the recovery time may be extended to 1 month or even longer. ； There are also some people with delayed-onset chronic food allergy. If they are repeatedly exposed to allergens, their symptoms may persist for several months without being cured.

Come on, I just met a two-year-old girl in the emergency department last week. My mother gave her half a Tainong mango. Her mouth immediately turned red, and two small blisters appeared. The family was so frightened that they rushed to the hospital. They prescribed some antihistamines that can be used by children, and applied calamine twice at home. When I came back for a follow-up checkup in the afternoon, the red marks were basically gone, and she was so active that she wanted to eat sweets. This is the most typical mild immediate allergy, which heals quickly and leaves almost no trace.

But don’t think that food allergies come and go quickly. Last month, a college student came to the gastroenterology department. He had diarrhea on and off for three weeks. He lost almost five pounds. A colonoscopy was performed and no organic problems were found. Finally, a specific IgE test revealed that he was allergic to wheat bran in the instant oats he ate for breakfast every day. He had a typical delayed-type allergy, with slow onset and atypical symptoms. He could not even imagine that it was the food problem. He had been suffering from it for three weeks in a row, and no matter how good his physique was, he could not handle it. Within three days of stopping oatmeal, the diarrhea was gone.

In addition to the type of allergy, the speed of recovery is also directly linked to whether you intervene in time. I have seen many young people who think that allergies are just a trivial matter. The itchy rash will go away after two days. They don't take medicine and can't control their mouths. They are obviously allergic to shrimp, but they still eat supper when friends meet for dinner. The rash that was supposed to disappear in three days suddenly turned into chronic urticaria. The itching lasted for almost two months. If you have underlying diseases, such as autoimmune diseases or diabetes, allergies are even more troublesome. I have an old rheumatoid patient. Last time I was greedy and ate two bites of hairy crabs, my limbs were covered with wheals. They disappeared and grew again. It took almost a month to completely clear up.

Now regarding the treatment of allergies, there are actually two different ideas in the industry. One is the one we all hear most often: If you find out what you are allergic to, you should completely avoid it. Once the allergenic antibodies in the body are metabolized, you will be fine. This idea is particularly sound, especially for children who have a history of severe allergies or are very young. You will definitely not go wrong by giving priority to safety and never touching allergens. However, in the past few years, there have been new views in the field of allergy. It is believed that as long as it is not a severe immediate allergy that can induce shock or laryngeal edema, it is not necessary to completely avoid food for a lifetime. Gradual tolerance training in small doses under the guidance of a doctor can allow the body to slowly adapt to the allergen, and it will not cause an attack even if it is eaten in the future. Many children with milk and egg allergies gradually get rid of the restriction of food taboos through this method. But I have to say this up front. Tolerance training must be evaluated and guided by a professional doctor. If you try it at home, you may induce more serious allergies, which is not worth the gain.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone, don’t wait for allergy to heal on its own. If you have a tight throat, stuffy breathing, dizziness and panic during an attack, don’t hesitate to run to the emergency room immediately. This is a sign of laryngeal edema or anaphylactic shock. If it takes half an hour, you may be dead, and there is no time to discuss the issue of "how many days will it take to get better." Also, don’t blindly apply hormone-containing ointments on your face to treat allergies. I have seen many young girls go to the drugstore to buy a powerful hormone ointment and apply it on their faces when they are allergic. The allergy heals quickly, but they end up with hormone-dependent dermatitis, with redness and hotness in the face. It took two or three years to be completely cured, but it was a small gain.

To put it bluntly, there is no fixed answer to the question of how many days it will take for a food allergy to be cured. If you just have a small red rash around your mouth and don't feel any other discomfort, it will most likely go away in a day or two. ； If the symptoms persist for more than a week and are still not cured, don’t hold on. Go to the hospital and see a doctor. The answer will be more reliable than searching for answers online.