Food or Detergent Allergy Contained Only to Face?

[cottontail]

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...llyBeth231.jpg

Does anyone know if a food (E.B.F. babe) or detergent allergy would be contained only to face? We used Dreft detergent, but sometime in the last couple of weeks introduced some Downy into the wash b/c her clothes were smelling fishy. Obviously have stopped doing that!

DD is 1-month old. Her face went from completely clear one week ago to this rashy state She is in good spirits, so I don't think there is any discomfort related to this.

Any info is much appreciated! I thought maybe it was baby acne till the red started spreading across her face. It's also on the back of her neck.

[wendy1221]

That looks just like what Liam got from peanuts and soy in my diet. If I were you, I'd start a TED to see what's causing it, before it gets worse. I wouldn't suspect the detergent since only her face is affected. But I would get rid of the Dreft and switch to All Free and Clear or an unscented natural detergent. No fabric softener. We use vinegar in the rinse in place of fabric softener and it works great.

The best TED to start w/ is to cut all of the top 8 from your diet. THe top 8 are (in no particular order) milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, and shellfish. I would also cut out corn. You won't be able to eat many processed foods, you'll have to mostly cook from scratch. I highly recommend "The Food Allergy Survival Guide." This book has several really good thorough chapters on food allergy followed by lots of very excellent recipes. Our library had it, but I ordered my own copy after making 2 recipes from it. THey're that good. Your diet for the next few week will probably be mostly fresh (or frozen, I guess) veggies, fresh fruit, rice, millet, beans (avoid soy and lentils for now), and fresh meats, if you're not vegetarian. I was already used to eating this way, so it was easy for me, but I understand it's very hard for some people.

After 2 weeks you should see GREAT improvement, if not, you might want to try Dr. Sears' TED. After your baby reaches baseline (shows no signs of reactions), you can start adding foods back in, one at a time waiting a week in between and watching carefully for reactions. I hope this isn't too overwhelming. If it is, maybe just start w/ cutting out dairy (read labels carefully) for 2 full weeks and go from there. I cut everything out one at a time, and I wish I had just done the whole top 8 right away, so that's what I recommend to others now.

Are either of you taking probiotics? See if you can find a good mixed probiotic that is free of all common allergens at your local health food store. Take them yourselves and give her a little bit of powder on your finger as well. This will help her gut heal from the damage caused by these allergies (some people think damaged guts causes the allergies, but I think theopposite happens.)

[cottontail]

I am so new to this idea of allergies as I have none known! What is TED? I can take a gander based on the directive...I've been chowing on edamame, pb & j, and dairy all week!

So, this can have a late onset? This wouldn't have started occuring right after birth? I've eaten all of these things from day one.

Thanks for the input! The diet doesn't sound too too horrible...

[wendy1221]

My ds was an exception in that he started showing symptoms at birth. Most babies start showing signs at 4-6 weeks.

I'm glad the diet doesn't sound too bad to you (TED= temporary elimination diet.) I didn't think it was too bad, either, but I guess most people rely heavily on processed prepackaged things and have no idea what to eat if they can't have those.

Are there any allergies in your family at all (food or environmental/seasonal)? What about your dh? If neither of you has a family history of allergies, then I would look into healing your gut. There's a huge thread in health and healing on it. Even if there are allergies in either of your families, healing your gut isn't a bad idea. Theoretically, the baby shouldn't be reacting to proteins in your milk b/c they should have been digested by you, not getting into your milk whole, right? SO the fact that she is reacting means you probably have gut issues yourself. I know I did/do, but mostly b/c I have a mild milk allergy that I tend to ignore most of the time.