Can Milk Cause Eczema?

Updated on July 03, 2011
A.P. asks from Fruitland, ID
13 answers

Hi Moms. My 18 month old son has always had sensitive skin and mild to moderate eczema. I have thought about phasing out foods (dairy, wheat, etc) just to see if that would help him at all. Well the last 3 days I have had him on the BRAT diet since he had a fever, vomitting, and some wicked diarrhea. His skin looks a lot better. I have been giving him toast so I think he is fine with wheat. We have been avoiding the diary. I guess my question is, milk is a staple in a toddler's diet right? If he is sensitive to milk, what do I give him that will provide the same nutrition? What do you moms do who have a child who may be sensitive to dairy? I am new to this kind of issue. My other son can eat anything with no problems. Thank you for your help!

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Featured Answers

J.X.

answers from Los Angeles on

I was so irritated with my granola mother telling me that cows milk was causing eczema in my daughter. When my daughter weaned off milk at age two however, her eczema cleared right up!

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S.R.

answers from Kansas City on

Yes! My 3.5 year old son has pretty bad eczema, and about 5 months ago we started phasing out dairy products and he has not had more than a mild break out since then. We still do give him a glass of milk every other or every third day, but not 2-3 times a day like he was getting. He is also starting to eat yogurt every few days again too and it seems to be okay too.
He isn't a cheese eater so that isn't a problem.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.G.

answers from Gainesville on

Well, i have a son with eczema and its very much related to allergies. My son's also flares with stress. My daughter hated milk as a 2 year old and she drank a lot of vitamin d fortified orange juice, cheese and yogurt. . I'm sure you can do a little online research on dairy issues and milk, but i would also talk to your doctor. good luck!

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S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on

definitely. most kids with excema are told not to eat dairy because it causes the excema acts up and gets worse and itchy when drank or eaten.

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K.D.

answers from Denver on

We did goat's milk for our little ones. It helped my son with eczema a lot! Check out the lotion bars at www.passionatehomemakers.com, too. They are by far the best thing we have ever found for eczema. You can use less beeswax to have a lotion instead of a bar. GL!

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A.S.

answers from Denver on

I know that I had eczema when I was young (still a little) and my mom kept me away from milk of the cow. She gave me goat milk which is different. I now have no problems with dairy. I would keep his diet pretty simple cause my eczema definitely is a reactionary thing.
Good luck.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

My Mom has Eczema, and for her the Triggers are:
Oats
Citrus

ANYTHING with oats or citrus, will bring out Eczema in her.

Each person is different.

I have people in my family/relatives that are sensitive to dairy and NONE of them, have Eczema.

Sensitivity to Dairy can mean:
Lactose Intolerant or,
Milk Protein allergy

You have to find out for sure, from a Doctor.
Don't guess at it.

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

milk doesn't have that much nutrition. It has a lot of fat in it and calcium, which is what toddlers need. Try coconut milk, almond milk or rice milk if it isn't constipating. Look for the same amount of fat/saturated fat that you would find in regular milk. My daughter is that age and she is actually still on formula which has a lot of nutrients but also some things I would rather her do without much she doesn't like regular milk yet. My daughter also would get eczema from eggs but she outgrew that, thank goodness. Hopefully your son will outgrow this as well. Also give him probiotics which will turn the diarrhea around fast.

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J.P.

answers from Denver on

Hi--
Yes, milk allergy can cause eczema. We don't do dairy at all in our home. We use fortified rice milk now--and when my little ones were younger I mixed coconut milk with the rice milk for the good fats. You can use rice milk in any recipe you would have used dairy milk for. Don't go for soy milk---the phytoestrogens in it (chemicals that mimic the hormone estrogen in the body) can really mess up hormones. We buy coconut milk ice cream and yoghurt. They get calcium supplements during growth spurts.

Keep in mind that kids in a lot of countries around the world do not drink milk, and they do just fine nutritionally. There is a large lobby in this country pushing cow's milk because it is a big industry. It is not necessary for health. In fact, many will argue that it is harmful. Think about it--cows milk is perfectly made for a baby cow. Baby cows have four stomach chambers and they chew their food twice---very different from us. Also, we are the only mammal on the face of the earth that regularly eats another mammals breast milk. Makes you think ;-)
Happy to talk to you about recipes if you need the assistance.
J.

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G.L.

answers from Denver on

Absolutely a milk allergy can cause eczema. Eczema is a telltale outer sign that there is a food allergy. It may be as small in his diet as "natural flavors" or "caramel coloring" as MILK isn't always listed as milk. Taking him to get a scratch test is a good option to make sure you get everything & anything he's allergic to. Meanwhile to keep him comfortable since eczema can be painful & scratchy you need products that won't irritate his skin & help to make him more comfortable :). Take a look at a phenomenal line Arbonne ABC- www.naturallylovely.myarbonne.com take care, G

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D.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Yes! Different people have different sensitivities/allergies to milk. Some people are fine with processed dairy (ie, butter, milk that has been baked into things) but they can't handle uncooked/processed milk, such as a glass of milk. Other people with dairy allergy/sensitivity can't have any of those things. And many people, of course, are ok with all kinds of dairy.

I have a toddler who can't have diary. It's not too hard once you get used to it. We buy soy yogurt, rice milk, soy butter and cheese. All these things are supplemented with calcium and vitamin D, which are the most important nutritional things in dairy. You can also make a little extra effort to make sure your child gets healthy fats in the other foods he eats.

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K.W.

answers from Seattle on

Talk to a nutritionist. If he's allergic to milk, he probably wasn't absorbing much from it anyway.

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J.S.

answers from Washington DC on

My DD also has always had mild to moderate eczema. She is 3 but when she was about 12 months we went over to soy formula to see if that would help with the eczema. Hers always would come and go and after a few months on the soy we went back to milk and there was no change in the frequency of the eczema.
Since she has been able to talk we have realized that when she is coming down with an illness, even a mild stuffy nose, her eczema flares up. During the illness, the eczema fades and then a few days later her illness is gone too. Eczema is often an over-reaction of the immune system so for our DD when her body first started to fight or deal with a virus/infection, the eczema was usually the first sign of something going on. Her skin would always clear in the midst of the infection.
I would not take dairy completely out of your son's diet until talking to the Dr first. If you want to try it, the Dr may recommend other foods to make sure your son is getting all the nutrients (vitamin D, calcium) that he needs from another source.

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