To let my DD eat tomatoes?

[CrohnicallyInflexible]

Inspired by but not about another thread.

My DD doesn't like raw tomatoes, but will eat things in a tomato based sauce. If she gets any on the skin around her mouth, tiny little pimples and a red rash form where it touches. It doesn't last very long, the rash can take anywhere between 1 hour and a day to fade, depending on the severity of it. I didn't think much of it, I just presumed it's like contact dermatitis. She shows no signs of problems anywhere else, except nappy rash on the rare occasion she ate a bit of tomato skin (localised reaction to where the tomato skin in her poo touched her bottom). I spoke to the HV who wasn't concerned at all.

But then I read on another thread about a small child who had a similar mouth reaction to hazelnuts, and posters said their father was endangering their life by letting them eat hazelnuts. Am I endangering my DD by not removing all traces of tomato from her diet? Can a skin based reaction evolve into anaphylaxis?

Sorry can you clarify, does the cooked tomato sauce give her a rash?

I don't know if the reaction is likely to get better, worse or stay the same, but if I were you I would avoid contact with a food that currently gives her a rash.

i.e. if raw and cooked tomatoes give her a rash, avoid both, if just raw, then only give her cooked tomatoes.

It is possible that the cooking process denatures the protein she is sensitive to. My mother is allergic to raw strawberries, but can eat strawberry jam as it is cooked.

If she is having an allergic reaction then it could be worsened by continued exposure, which is why the posters on the other thread were so concerned that the father was doing this without medical advice. I wouldn't do the same and you are unlikely to get specialist medical advice on here either, so I would take her to the GP and ask for their advice.

Sorry, it's any tomato that gives her a rash, whether it's cooked or in a sauce or raw.

DS gets this with tomatoes and strawberries. I've never really been bothered about it, feeling moderately guilty now watching with interest to see if I should stop. Even though he's 3.5 years and the reaction hasn't got worse over time.

I wouldn't OP. It could be oral allergy syndrome but it could also be symptomatic of a 'true' allergy.

Google hives and see if it's the same rash your daughter gets. If it is she's experiencing an allergic reaction.

Tomato gives my DD (who is allergic to eggs, soya and dairy) a red rash but she's clear for an allergy to it. It just irritates her skin.

My son had this when he was a baby. He would smear the tomatoes all over his face and then have a rash afterwards. He's not allergic to tomatoes and now he is bigger and has better motor skills he has no problems with tomatoes! They are quite acidic and would probably irritate your skin if you wore them on your face, too

I do the same. My DS gets a similar reaction but it doesn't seem like an allergy: there's no itching, no urticaria, no throat swelling etc. It's just redness where the tomato has contact with skin. I think it's to do with the acid in the food. As he's not bothered and the rash fades quickly, I don't worry too much.

It's not hives, it doesn't seem to be itchy but it is sore to the touch. And it doesn't have raised weals.

tomatos are known for allergies.

please get some medical advice and back off the tomatoes a bit. just to be sure. it may be that this will resolve itself over time.

My son used to react to some ketchups and some tomato juice if he used to put it on his skin, but now he's grown up there is no reaction at all.

It could be an allergy to the pollen. It's extremely difficult to wash off the raw fruit.

My DD1 has this, huge rashes if she touches a tomato plant!

There's some info about tomato allergies on the anaphylaxis UK website.

Sounds like a topical allergy but it could get worse. I guess she can't tell you if her throat is itching? Might be good to see the gp and get her some allergy testing. Stock up on Piriton. An epi pen is always good to have just in case. Allergies can get quite severe quite quickly.

How old is she?

My Dd had this as a baby and her allergy specialist explained that tomatoes, and especially concentrated form (eg sauces), contain a chemical that mimics histamine, causing rash in susceptible people.

DD is NOT allergic to tomatoes but she came up in a rash on eating them, especially in sauces, as a small child. This gradually disappeared and now she eats them without any issue. I Have a similar reaction if handling tomatoes with chapped hands (I'm fine as long as the skin isn't broken).

www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/what-is-anaphylaxis/knowledgebase/tomato-allergy

Sorry I misread, if it's sauces too could be an allergy.

I would try and get her tested.

I have a sensitivity to raw tomatoes, but am fine with cooked. I am also fine with vine-ripened tomatoes - my sensitivity is limited to tomatoes that are picked green and artificially ripened. Apparently, it's because tomatoes (like potatoes) are from the nightshade famiy and they contain some chemical when they're photosynthesising that can cause problems.

She's 2 1/2, but quite verbal so I'm sure she could tell me if it affected her throat, she certainly tells me when her chin is sore! I'll back off tomatoes to be on the safe side, I do have piriton handy.

Ds2 has a similar skin reaction. It seems to be capable of turning to eczema easily. Ds1 has had allergies to milk and egg and an intolerance to soya. It's not the hives that Ds1 had, but following the 3 GP visits (bearing in mind that during the first one DS was mid reaction and couldn't open his eyes through the facial swelling) that it took to get a referral to paediatrics and the dieticians, I thought it was simpler to remove tomatoes from Ds2's diet and try occasionally in the same way that we have with Ds1's allergens.

I'd see a doc and ask for allergy testing, and see them again for advice after the results. Allergy advice isn't always to avoid.

I'm allergic to aspirin. I should obviously avoid taking an aspirin pill but I've been encouraged to continue eating foods with naturally occurring aspirin (such as tomatoes) in order to build up a tolerance. I do have to carry antihistamines all the time in case I consume enough aspirin to be problematic, but if I avoided it entirely, it would be a lot more problematic if I ate some accidentally.

has the rash lessened over time?

I'm allergic to tomatoes.

DD used to get the mouth rash when small too. I still offered her tomatoes but she naturally avoids them now, like me.

I would certainly see a doctor for allergy testing to be safe and avoid giving it to her in the meantime. Allergies can get worse with more exposure and can be very serious. Always best to be safe and seek medical advice in cases like this.

Sorry to butt in, I haven't read the whole thread.

I can't touch or get tomato or tomato ketchup/soup/anything tomato on my skin, I get a rash and it takes around 1 day to go down too! BUT I CAN eat tomato with no problems, I love it! In spaghetti, soup, ketchup! As long as I don't spill it on myself

As she's a baby though, it may differ and be worth checking out.

She says "I NOT a baby, I am a toggler!"

But yeah, you're right, I need to seek proper medical advice, not just go off what the HV said.

I don't think the rash is getting better or worse over time, it's quite unpredictable, sometimes it can come up quite bad unexpectedly, other times she doesn't seem too badly affected.