Baby Skin Care And Food Allergies

Dr Carla Morley

As parents it feels intuitive to reach for the “natural” sounding products when looking for gentle skin care or massage oil for our babies.

So it’s interesting to know that parents are being advised to avoid baby skin care products and oils containing food ingredients such as cow or goats’ milk, oats, coconut, almond or peanut oil, especially if the infant has eczema.

Current research is looking into whether infants introduced to allergens such as nuts, eggs and milk via skin care products (rather than as food through the gut) are more likely to develop food allergies.

The working theory is that the baby’s immune system tolerates common allergens better if they are introduced first via the digestive tract, compared to first entering the body via the skin.

In a recent ABC report Lara Ford, an allergy specialist who chairs the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Paediatric Committee agreed that common food allergens, such as nuts, eggs and milk, should be introduced to the body's immune system “in the way they're naturally encountered; that is, through the gut”.

The risk of sensitisation to these food allergens might be more common in children with eczema as parents seek to treat inflamed skin with more natural sounding products containing food products such as goat and cow milk, almond, peanut or almond oil often marketed for babies.

Add to this the fact that children with eczema often have inflamed skin resulting in a weakened barrier, allowing the allergen to more easily enter the body and make contact with the immune system, without going through the gut.

Common food allergens are a common ingredient in many products marketed for babies.

A recent international study found of 276 skincare products marketed for children, nearly 40% included one of more common food allergens.

The most common were:

 Almonds (41.7%)

Wheat (22.4%)

Soy (15.4%)

Oats 10.3%)

Sesame (8.3%)

Milk (1.3%

Peanuts (0.6%)

 Take home message:

Good eczema management is important for your infant’s comfort and skin integrity (an important part of the body’s immune system).
Products containing foods or allergens are best avoided for infants, especially those with inflamed skin such as eczema conditions.

More information:

https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/avoid-skincare-with-food-ingredients-child-eczema/100040570?fbclid=IwAR0hYj7znCIOR_kPnE1eEJwV85WeEld7yUPsSadh-Tr0qTZJ7Jk35TwD2J
https://preventallergies.org.au/helpful-tools/frequently-asked-questions/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cea.12992
https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-allergy/food-allergy