Could ice-cream or wheat cause a flare up of dd's eczema if allergy tests have shown up clear for these?

[suiledonn]

Hi, my dd was 2 in May. She has had eczema since she was a few months old. She had allergy testing done (by an immunology specialist) when she was 14 months old that showed an egg allergy but no other allergies. Her eczema had improved a lot since the start of this year but in recent weeks it has flared up really badly again. Her legs are very bad but she also has patches on her stomach, arms and neck.
We have been trying to figure out what has caused this and the only major changes we have found in her routine is that she has recently started eating ice cream (an egg free one) and also has been having Weetabix for breakfast. She didn't show a dairy or wheat allergy in her tests and has been drinking milk and eating other things with wheat up til now with no major problems. Could it be that the concentration of wheat in the Weetabix is too much for her or that there is something in the ice cream that triggers this? Should we have her re-tested for allergies?

[BalloonSlayer]

This probably isn't much help, but my DS1 IS allergic to milk - badly. He had a bad reaction to 6 or 7 spoonsful of milk (hospital trip) but it was only when that occured that I realised that he had had just as bad a reaction to one lick of ice cream. I have ever since been of the opinion that ice cream is - from an allergy point of view - really concentrated.

What I am getting at is that imo she could be only very slightly allergic to milk but ice cream could be concentrated enough to be causing a reaction?

The other thing to consider though is for eczema sufferers, it is often the case that the eczema is worse in the summer or the winter. Eg my DH finds the cold makes the eczema on his hands flare up but my DS1 gets it worse in the summer.

Also I think that pollen can affect it too. It might not be something under your control.

[suiledonn]

I wondered about a hayfever connection too BalloonSlayer as Dh and his brothers have it and I read some where that hayfever in children can show up as eczema.

I have a feeling though that the ice cream might have been a problem because the patch of eczema came up on her neck where she dribbled the melted ice cream as she was eating. She was obsessed with cones for a little while but hasn't asked for ice cream for a while now.

We have cut out the Weetabix too in the last few days and her skin does seem better but now I don't know which one might have been causing it.

[suiledonn]

bump

[Madlentileater]

is it possible there was egg in the ice cream?

[Blandmum]

I had eczema as a child and sometimes I would just have a flare up.

That sort of thing is very common with eczema, it replases and remits, often with very little obvious reason

[brimfull]

ds's eczema gets bad is he eats a lot of dairy although he is not allergic to it.
He also has flare ups for no apparent reason

[suiledonn]

Thanks for the replies. I know we are clutching at straws trying to find a cause but it is so frustrating to see her so badly affected now after months of being practically eczema-free.

Madlentileater The ice cream definitely didn't have egg listed as an ingredient so I presume not.