The treatment of allergies has been a vexed question for many years. Solutions have tended to be either ineffective or potentially dangerous (creating a risk of anaphylactic shock). At http://www.dbv-technologies.com/en, however, we can see that there may be an alternative which promises to be both safe and effective.
If you follow this link you can find out more about the range of allergy treatment products being developed by French firm DBV-Technologies under the name of Viaskin. Viaskin is a patch that is applied to the patient’s skin, where it releases proteins (antigens) into the body. Key to the modus operandi of the patch is a condensation chamber, which solubilizes these proteins and moisturizes the skin. This greatly facilitates the transfer of the allergens through the epidermal layer and into the Langerhans cells, which you can see in the image below. This is safe, because these cells are very tolerogenic. It avoids the traditional delivery channel of the bloodstream, which is a more risky approach. The patch can be worn by individuals of all ages, and as it’s not painful to wear, it could well offer a great solution to the treatment of paediatric allergies.