Does Milk/Dairy cause Eczema problems

[Rebecca247]

Hi everyone, I'm just abit confused in whether or not milk and dairy products can cause eczema, my dd is 3yrs old and has very problem skin eczema, she gets it on her face, eyes, wrists and legs... We have tried numerous creams and ointments from the doctor but nothing seems to clear it up for long...I've now started looking at what she eats and the majority of her diet is alot of milk and dairy products...

Please any advice would be greatly appreciated... I'm hoping it's not milk and dairy, if it is i dont know what she'll eat then.... she survives on thin air at times....

Love Rebecca

[Fenella]

Eczema and skin rash's can def be a symptom of cows milk protein allergy.

[KathrynK]

I have eczema (although not due to milk) and dh has asthma, and as therefore dd is high risk for allergies my health visitor has told me to avoid all dairy products with her until at least 10 months as they are notorious for causing eczema 
hth
kathryn

[Rebecca247]

Thanks guys i guess it makes sense cos she practically lives on these products so what can i do, can i replace cows milk dairy products with soy based, or is it just as bad?

She really enjoys flavoured milk (and plain) and she has 2 yoghurts a day and lots of cheese, bascially she doesnt eat anything else. So is there a suitable replacement for her...

Also my MIL suffers from chronic asthma and slight ezcema, so i guess it's been passed down..

Thanks again Rebecca

[angelboys]

Hi Rebecca

As far as I know there is no scientific evidence that milk/dairy products cause ezcema.  My son had ezcema when he was born that was because I was a bad asthmatic as a child so that weak gene unfortunately passed onto him, making him more prone to allegies.  We have taken him to specialised and tried all the creams and potions.  These all had temporary effects but we found a magic cream that is made essentially from oatmeal known to help with skin problems.

The cream is natural and has no steroids etc.  It's called AVEENO.  This comes in cream and bath oil.  My son is now ezcema free and has wonderful skin.  I still use the cream and bath oil as it does no harm.

Do try it out and let me know.  Good Luck!!

Toni  x

[angelboys]

Hi Rebecca

As far as I know there is no scientific evidence that milk/dairy products cause ezcema.  My son had ezcema when he was born that was because I was a bad asthmatic as a child so that weak gene unfortunately passed onto him, making him more prone to allegies.  We have taken him to specialised and tried all the creams and potions.  These all had temporary effects but we found a magic cream that is made essentially from oatmeal known to help with skin problems.

The cream is natural and has no steroids etc.  It's called AVEENO.  This comes in cream and bath oil.  My son is now ezcema free and has wonderful skin.  I still use the cream and bath oil as it does no harm.

Do try it out and let me know.  Good Luck!!

Toni  x

[KathrynK]

hi again Rebecca
I also use Aveeno cream for my eczema and it's great- I got it on prescription from my dr but you can buy it over the counter too
with regard to diet I am no help at all as I am counting the days till we can try dairy products as poor dd has the most limited diet around!
kathryn

[Rebecca247]

thanks Toni & Kathryn, just wondering if the AVEENO creams are availiable in australia, or just overseas, I'm desperate to try anything to help her out... Please let me know if i can purchase it here as I havent heard of it before...

Thanks again Rebecca

[KathrynK]

hi Rebecca
there is a website Aveeno.com- hopefully that will tell you where you can get some! If not let me know and perhaps I can mail you some.....

[Rebecca247]

Great Kathryn, thanks alot for that, I'll check out the website and see if i can purchase some here in australia, if not I'll let you know and it would be great if you could mail us some.... I'll give anything a try....

Thanks so much for all your help, you've been great

Rebecca

[KathrynK]

no worries, just let me know!

[pixieme]

Just wanted to let you know that we have just done a 2 month dairy free trial to see if it would help with ds' eczema.  This was done on the recommendation of our GP who said that it was the most likely common cause.  We also had the help of a dietitian to ensure that we were able to follow the diet correctly. Well we saw the paediatrician on Wednesday and he said that we might as well go back to a normal fully inclusive diet as it was having absolutely no effect what so ever.

I have mixed feelings about it really.  On one hand it is a relief to not worry about the content of every item of food.  But on the other I was really hoping that we were going to find the solution. 

The paed had now referred ds to the allergy clinic for a scratch and blood tests to check for all the most common eczema allergens, so fingers crossed this will give us the answer.

I guess you are in the same position as us where we are basically guessing in the dark - we won't know for sure until we get the test results.  Is this something you have considered doing at all?

[LisbonMom]

We did skin prick tests on dd#1 a few months ago, as she had always had eczema and asthma was starting to be a problem too. We found she was allergic to wheat and dustmites, among others. Wheat came as a real surprise to us, as we had no clue it could be a problem for her, she loved bread, pasta, cookies ....
We have taken wheat out of her diet and still see no improvement, but I saw the reaction, so we know we can't go back (yet).

Anyway, just to let you know that:

a) the culprit may be something you are not expecting
b) sometimes you can't really see improvement but it is there

Best,

Sara

[yaya]

Just wanted to add that DS also had erally bad eczma when he was on formula which contained lactose and it ckeared up instantly when u got him on lactose free! I used nappy cream on his face when it was realyl bad and it helped a lot!

[Rebecca247]

Thanks everyone for your input, it's been great, I actually asked my GP for a referral to a dermotologist and he said try ONE more ointment, it cleared her up crystal clear but the tubes are so small theres only enough in the tubes to clear her then once it runs out it all comes back. I also am a bit fed up with so many tubes of creams, ointments and any other lotion and potion, I think I've tried everything, she's actually really bad again at the moment. I'm making an appointment to see our GP on monday and I'm going to demand some tests this time and maybe see a natropath aswell, it cant hurt i dont suppose.

I would really like to find the cause of the problem, it could be something that I'm doing thats effecting her and I just dont know what, It breaks my heart to see her this way, scratching all the time.

Does anyone else see a difference in their childs behaviour when there ezcema is flaring up.. Chloe seems to be really irritable and grumpy..
But I suppose it wouldnt be pleasent..

Thanks Guys, I'll keep you posted on the tests..
Love Rebecca