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Allergy, or just dry skin?

freezorburnfreezorburn member
in Food Allergy

More than one person has said to me that they think the rough, dry skin on DS's shins and back of his forearms is due to a food allergy. He is 12 weeks old and had very dry skin as a newborn. He had cradle cap and acne around 2 months which we have mostly got under control -- the acne seems to be aggravated by heat more than anything else.

The dry skin is getting better all the time, especially since I start his nightly bath routine with a massage, then bath, then moisturizer.

We are EBF and I'm not sure where I would start with figuring out if it was a food allergy. We've had various family members come to stay with us and cook for us since he was born so our diet has been somewhat inconsistent.

I read things that sound like these skin issues are fairly normal for babies at this stage, but then I hear comments about possible allergies and I wonder. One of the people who commented was a holistic health/naturopathic medicine practitioner, the other was a pediatrician who was filling in for our regular doctor.

Anyone have similar skin issues and found that they are diet related? 

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Re: Allergy, or just dry skin?

  • shotzieshotzie member

    Is it dry skin or ezcema? DD2 developed eczema after I was already dairy and soy free, so I knew those foods weren't the culprit. I had been eating walnuts with my oatmeal every morning, so I decided to cut nuts out too. Lo and behold, her eczema was gone a week later.

    DD2 is milk and soy protein intolerant and we had her tested for allergies at 5 months. Turns out she's allergic to cashews, so that confirmed my need to be nut free while nursing her.

    Eczema can be related to a food allergy or intolerance, but you'd have to play around with your diet to see if you can find the culprit. Unfortunately, it could be just about anything. That said, I'd start by cutting back on dairy and see if that helps. Dairy seems to be a common cause for all sorts of problems in LO's.

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  • freezorburnfreezorburn member

    I've been reading up on eczema and it seems to fit the description.

    I think you're right, dairy might be a good place to start. It's probably the only thing I've consistently had since DS was born. 

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  • shotzieshotzie member

    Also, if you're looking for a good cream for LO's skin, we use Vanicream on DD2. It comes in a big tub with a pump on it and you can get it at Walgreens. Our derm recommended it. It's free of parabens and all that nasty stuff and is nice and thick. I use it on my hands cause they get super dry and I really like it too.

    DD2 also had terrible, terrible cradle cap, but it cleared up with her eczema. The derm and allergist said cradle cap can be related to eczema (I'd never heard that before). DD2's skin is still sensitive and is prone to drying out, so we still use the Vanicream on her and it works really well for her.

    someecardscom - Im well on my way to getting absolutely nothing done today
    DD1: allergic to eggs & dairy Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    c/p 4/1/11

    DD2: milk and soy protein intolerant, allergic to eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, bananasBaby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    MSPI Moms Check-In Blog
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  • freezorburnfreezorburn member
    Thanks for the recommendation, Shotzie. I will look for that.
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  • ababymaybeababymaybe member
    Most eczema is not food relate. I wouldn't cut out anything from your diet in absence of other symptoms. Try bathing daily with plain luke warm water and applying a generous amount of Cerave cream immediately after to lock in moisture. Cerave is the only thing that helped my LOs skin. 
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  • freezorburnfreezorburn member
    imageababymaybe:
    Most eczema is not food relate. 

    Yes, everything I've read about it seems to downplay the role of food ... that's why I'm hesitating to do some kind of elimination diet. I figure I'll do an experiment with dairy, but I'm not going to let all this good stuff in my fridge go to waste, either.

    The only reason I'm looking into it is that it was mentioned to me as a possible factor by these two health care people who have very different approaches from each other, one was alternative and the other was a regular pediatrician.

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  • b55cb55c member
    If the dry skin doesn't bother your son, maybe just try a more intense moisturizing routine. Our allergist recommended daily baths in lukewarm water and lotion, lotion, lotion. That being said, our dd's eczema improved greatly when I cut out dairy and then cleared even more when I cut out wheat.
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  • SaranJonathanSaranJonathan member
    My DD is allergic to eggs. She seemed to have the eczema problem - related it to daily baths, winter ect. Then right before her first birthday we gave her scrambled eggs. Head to toe hives.... Went totally egg free and her skin went clear. I wouldnt downplay food allergies and eczema... 
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  • freezorburnfreezorburn member

    imageSaranJonathan:
    My DD is allergic to eggs. She seemed to have the eczema problem - related it to daily baths, winter ect. Then right before her first birthday we gave her scrambled eggs. Head to toe hives.... Went totally egg free and her skin went clear. I wouldnt downplay food allergies and eczema... 

    Thank you for sharing this. Just curious, did she have any other symptoms that went away once you took eggs out of her diet? 

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  • Oliver715Oliver715 member

    I had this issue with my dd. She is almost 13 weeks now. She has been diagnosed with severe reflux and possible milk allergy. I took her to one ped that said the severe rash on her face was baby acne and she had horrible rash on her neck,and the inner elbow area. She gave me a cream and said to put it on her neck 3 times a day. It didnt get better. I took her to another ped and she immediately said my daughter had horrible eczema! She gave me a diff cream and it was healed in 2 days!! Our GI dr said the eczema was due to a milk protein intolerance. We switched to a hypoalergenic formula, too. Eczema feels like leather its so dry. You can use aveeno or other sensivive skin baby washes and use lotion after a bath. 

    I will tell you one thing though.... if youre just now wondering if your baby has a milk allergy he prob doesnt.... My DD will scream her head off during and after a feeding. She arches her back, throws up a lot and pulls her legs up when her tummy is cramping up. Its horrible and you would know when your baby is in pain from what he is eating. Ide take him to a dr just to be sure though... Oh, and if you are EBF there is even less of a chance its an allergy. It's very rare for EBF babies to have an allergy. You could try to cut out dairy and see of that helps but like I said... its rare. EBF is the best thing for him.... 

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