View Full Version : skin flare ups & intolerance
alexx
11-10-2005, 07:51 PM
I was very good on my dairy free diet then for a variety of reasons I have had a month of "lapse".
Not only do my stomach symptoms (the main reason for my dairy free life - I have chronic and debilitating IBS) seem to have come back even worse than before, I seem to have developed some new symptoms....
The main one is a stinging, sore inflammation of my face, almost like chapped skin. This has stopped now I have begun being really strict with myself (at least I have proved dairy IS the problem) but I was really surprised to find the intolerance could maybe cause skin problems too - is this common?
paranoidangel
11-10-2005, 09:38 PM
It must have been intolerances that set off eczema for me - before that I hadn't had eczema at all since I was little. Possibly they've contributed to the dry skin on my hands, but that one's harder to tell.
Fozzybear
12-10-2005, 04:17 PM
I had a skin rash in my armpits that would come and go but cleared up once I went milk-free. It's definitely possible for skin problems to be caused by intolerances. My rash had been appearing for about 4 years before I came down badly with lactose intolerance so I must have been slowly becoming intolerant for a long time!
linny
12-10-2005, 05:47 PM
I used to get very sore spots on my neck and jawline. Since being dairy free they have disappeared.;)
I find that my skin tends to be quite dry now, I don't know if that is a result of my dairy free diet or me getting older!
When I was born in the late 1950s, I had severe eczema :mad: , and my mother tried giving me goats' milk instead of cows. So I assume that the cow-milk/skin problem connection has been known about for a long time. BTW, she said the goats' milk didn't help me, but I don't know how long she tried it for before giving up.
My eczema disappeared altogether just after I moved to Canada in 1999 :) but I still used cows' milk at the time. Although the eczema disappeared my skin was always dry and rough and not in very good condition, and I would get chapped, cracked skin sometimes :( . A couple of months after I dropped the cows' milk altogether (starting February this year), my skin became like it never, ever was before--clear, hydrated, smooth and glowing, and people often compliment me on my complexion now :D (and they certainly never did that before!). I would say without a doubt, that a diet containing cows' milk can definitely affect the skin.
rebecca c
12-10-2005, 06:48 PM
I have a lot of problems with my face.
There are different degrees which seem to be caused by different things.
I get an extremely bad problem with bad red swelling, blistering and peeling I think is scalded skin syndrome, a kind of TSS- the doctors says I wasnt ill enough to have this even though the doctors who said this didnt see me at the times! - but it has stopped since I stopped using tampax.
I also get red swelling which is not as frequent now but does still occur occasionally. I havent been able to pin point this although the latest bout was after I used some vaseline (the only product I use on my skin)
It does not seem to be caused by milk (but I have not tested this directly because I prefer to stay dairy free) I think it is all connected ie all my allergies auto immune problems and my sensitive state and poor liver function results are a bit of a chicken and egg situation.
Seeing as you mentioned the association between TSS and using tampons, this seems to a good time to mention a wonderful alternative to tampons. One of my holistic practitioners mentioned it to me a couple of years ago, and I wasn't sure what I thought about it, so dismissed the idea. Then in March this year I read this article (called "I'll Change Anything But That--Today's Alternative Menstrual Products") in Alive Magazine (http://www.alive.com/home/index.php?page_type=article&topic_id=1001299&article_id=8110&site_id=23&go_id=2&take_id=6 (http://www.alive.com/home/index.php?page_type=article&topic_id=1001299&article_id=8110&site_id=23&go_id=2&take_id=6)) about an alternative and decided to give it a try. It works for me, and although it appears to cost a lot, compare that with the price of tampons over time, and it's much safer and environmentally friendly too. For those with latex allergy, steer clear of 'The Keeper,' but the 'Diva Cup' (http://www.divacup.com (http://www.divacup.com)) is latex-free.
The Mooncup www.mooncup.co.uk (http://www.mooncup.co.uk) is very popular in the UK, similar to the Keeper but latex free. I am told that it is now available in Boots stores (about £20 I think but has a life span of about 10 years). Very eco-friendly too as you just empty it down the loo and give it a wash out. I've not taken the plunge yet though but know a lot of people on another site who use them and wouldn't use anything else. Sorry if this is all too much information boys!
Well, I was considering putting an apology note in my last message for the boys but then thought that anyone with female loved ones would be wise to know about such things so they can pass on this information.
and us poor sods on our own......icky but then so many things in life are!!
i've a problem with my face aswell, but it's got nothing to do with anything i eat!:lol2:
rebecca c
13-10-2005, 04:58 PM
I have just bought a mooncup and got on well with it. Just going to use it for swimming and stuff though.
Matt - sorry about that. What is your problem with your face if you dont mind me asking?
Copper
13-10-2005, 05:07 PM
I am so glad that I have finished with all of that now. Tampons and I did not get on as I was always aware that they were there. I imagine the mooncup would be just as irritating to me.
Men, they have no idea how we suffer.
They say that it is really comfortable once you get used to putting it in the right place. I have a problem with "strings" irritating my internal childbirth scars so a mooncup would probably be better.
I find my Diva Cup works especially wonderfully for the heavy days, and it is safe to wear all night, unlike tampons. Sorry guys!
Anyone who isn't quite sure about using these cups, but would like to find out more about them, might want to check the FAQs on http://www.mooncup.co.uk/menstrual_cup_faq.htm (http://www.mooncup.co.uk/menstrual_cup_faq.htm), or the 'Q&A' and 'Testimonials' on http://www.divacup.com/ (http://www.divacup.com/).
The reason I don't eat dairy is because of eczema (all over, but largely my face recently). So it definitely does affect the skin!
I'm so much better (one tiny patch of dry skin, and no red and itchy bits) since I went fully dairy-free. Chinese herbal medicine also helped, despite me not believing it would work and being very cross when it did.
Nic
sorry i was being silly ie the only thing wrong with my face is what it looks like! i do get a little ecxma in eyebrows and so on but nothing serious.
nothing a paper bag couldn't fix.
alexx
09-11-2005, 06:08 PM
just as an update I spoke to a nutritionist who confirmed what you guys are all telling me - that it is quite likely that the reaction is due to milk. Apparently according to her when you have an intolerance you have higher levels of cytokines in your blood which cause reaction, as your body reacts to the substance in your system, and these cause inflammation of the skin..dunno if that makes sense to anyone but thought it may be of interest!
Copper
09-11-2005, 06:51 PM
Well done for getting this thread back on track :) Hmm interesting that skin problems could be connected to dairy intolernace.
linny
09-11-2005, 10:06 PM
I suffer with psoriasis and it is likely that dairy made it worse. Before I gave up dairy I used to get really sore spots/boils on my neck and acne type rash on my face. That has all cleared now.
tigerlily
10-11-2005, 07:42 PM
When my daughter first started to have problems with dairy - age 8 months, she suffered from terrible eczema and a "mystery" rash with lots of spots on her face/around her mouth/chest area/across the stomach.
She is now dairy-free but will still get the rash/some form of eczema and/or atopic dermatitis when she is ill /comes down with an infection.
Vanessa.
Vanessa - that sounds familiar. I still get eczema when I'm stressed or run down. Its just much easier to get rid of when I'm not eating dairy, and never gets as bad. So I think if you're prone to skin problems, that's always your weak point, and its what will flare up if you're not well.
Nic
Kamagrian
12-11-2005, 12:02 PM
They say that it is really comfortable once you get used to putting it in the right place. I have a problem with "strings" irritating my internal childbirth scars so a mooncup would probably be better.Just my little two-pence-worth...
I've been using a Mooncup for a couple of years and after the first few days of getting used to it, I've loved it and never looked back. :D
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