Many children with food allergies have eczema as babies. This is part of the allergic march – the natural progression of allergic diseases in a person over time. This means eczema and food allergies are connected.

Does Eczema Cause Food Allergy?

Eczema is caused by a defect in a protein in the skin that helps it build a barrier. It is often genetic, meaning someone else in the family has eczema or another allergic condition. Infants who have persistent or severe eczema have a higher risk of developing food allergies. Most likely, they have a genetic tendency to develop other allergic conditions.

Because of family history, a child with this tendency is also more likely to have environmental allergies (such as pollen, dust mites, and mold) and asthma.

The connection between food allergies and eczema may happen when a baby has eczema and food touches or is rubbed on their skin. Because their skin barrier is not as effective as it should be, their immune system reacts differently to contact with the food through the skin.

This is not cause for alarm. There are a lot of factors that go into whether or not a child develops a food allergy. Just because food touches your baby’s skin does not mean they will develop an allergy to that food.

The best way to help prevent your child from having a food allergy is by introducing allergenic food to your child when they start eating solid foods – around 4 to 6 months old. That may help your baby build a tolerance to those foods.

Does Food Allergy Cause Eczema?

It's unlikely that a specific food is the cause of your child’s eczema. Most babies do not see an improvement in their eczema when foods are removed from their diet.

Because of this, recent guidelines actually recommend against doing panel food allergy testing in babies with eczema. Why? Several reasons.

Children with eczema have high rates of false positives to food allergy testing.

If a child has a false positive to a food but eats that food with no reaction, you may be told to avoid that food. Removing a food from their diet may actually cause your child to become allergic to it when they eat it months later.

David Stukus, MD, explains more in this video:

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Should My Child Avoid Foods If They Have Eczema?

Most children do not get relief from eczema when foods are removed from their diets. Often, eczema flares after eating a food are a coincidence. As mentioned above, removing food from their diet can do more harm than good because it may cause them to develop food allergies to those foods you have them avoid.

This applies to breastfeeding/chestfeeding infants as well. Removing food from the parent’s diet typically does not improve the child's eczema.

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The important thing to focus on is eczema care. Focus on the skin barrier, avoiding environmental factors and triggers – such as skin care products with fragrances. Use very thick, greasy, unscented emollients such as Vaseline on a regular basis. Use anti-inflammatory topical treatments long before talking with your doctor about removing food from your child’s diet.

If you have concerns about your child’s eczema and food allergies, see a board-certified allergist. They can answer your questions, help you figure out your child’s triggers, and help your child find relief.